Department for Transport

Regional Airports

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the Regional Air Connectivity Fund has been allocated by route in each financial year since 2013-14; and how much of such funding has been allocated for expenditure in each year from 2018-19 to 2021-22.

Jesse Norman: Funding paid or allocated through the Regional Air Connectivity Fund for each financial year from 2013-14 to 2021-22 is shown in the attached table. 



152102 - Table
(Word Document, 12.71 KB)

Newquay Cornwall Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to extend the Public Service Obligation designated route between Newquay Airport and London Gatwick beyond its expiry in October 2018.

Jesse Norman: Cornwall County Council are currently running an Invitation to Tender for the Newquay to London Public Service Obligation air service to operate from 28th October 2018. The Department will consider Cornwall Council’s preferred bid and any request for funding in due course.

Air Routes

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what maximum time limit the Government is able to issue a Public Service Obligation air route for; and whether that time limit can be extended.

Jesse Norman: Article 16(9) of Regulation 1008/2008 states that a member state may limit access to a route to one air carrier for a period of up to 4 years, before it must be reviewed. This can be extended to up to 5 years if the route serves an outermost region.

Air Routes

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Airports National Policy Statement, published on 5 June 2018, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of additional domestic connections and (b) annual cost to the public purse of subsidising a ring-fenced (i) five per cent (ii) 10 per cent and (iii) 15 percent of the newly created slots.

Jesse Norman: The proposed Airports National Policy Statement sets out an expectation that expansion at Heathrow will deliver an additional six domestic routes. Separately, the Secretary of State has set out a clear ambition that about 15% of slots made available from a new runway will be used for domestic routes. The Department expects that the majority of these routes will be commercially viable, as many are today, with support from Heathrow Airport. This support includes discounted charges for domestic passengers, and a £10 million Route Connectivity Fund. The Government will also take action, where appropriate, to secure routes through the use of Public Service Obligations (PSOs). PSOs provide the opportunity to offer exclusive rights to airlines to operate a route. Where this does not deliver the required level of connectivity, the Government may also offer subsidies to an airline to operate the route, which includes exemption from Air Passenger Duty. The Government’s approach to domestic connectivity will be set out in a Green Paper on the Aviation Strategy towards the end of this year, and the extent to which subsidies will be required can only be determined subject to market conditions nearer to the time of new capacity becoming operational.

Night Flying

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the statement, this will include a highly valued scheduled night flight ban of six and a half hours between 11pm and 7am in the Revised draft Airports National Policy Statement published on 24 October 2017 was amended to read, this is expected to include a highly valued scheduled night flight ban of six and a half hours between 11pm and 7am in the Airports National Policy Statement, published on 5 June 2018.

Jesse Norman: The reason for making this amendment to the proposed Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) is to ensure Chapter 3 of the document, which sets out why the Government has stated its preference for the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme, is consistent with Chapter 5, which focuses on the potential effects of the scheme, including noise. The Government has always been clear that should the proposed Airports NPS be designated, consideration of any ban, including timings, would be subject to the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Balanced Approach to noise management, including consultation with local communities and relevant stakeholders. The Government would anticipate there to be runway alternation at night. This means that some communities would experience additional periods of noise relief between 23:00 and 07:00, potentially up to eight hours including any ban, subject to consultation with local communities and relevant stakeholders.

Heathrow Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, by what means the Government plans to hold Heathrow Airport to account in the event that new air routes are not secured through the Airports National Policy Statement in line with paragraph 3.34 of that statement.

Jesse Norman: The Airports National Policy Statement is clear that the Government requires Heathrow Airport Limited to work with its airlines to protect existing routes and deliver at least six new connections. This will be examined as part of any Development Consent Order application. In parallel, the Government will also take action, where appropriate, to secure routes through the use of Public Service Obligations. This will include the ring-fencing of appropriately timed slots. The Government’s commitments on domestic connectivity will be detailed in a Green Paper on the Aviation Strategy which is due to be published towards the end of this year.

Heathrow Airport Limited

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what dates (a) his Ministerial team and (b) officials of his Department have met with representatives of Heathrow Airport Limited as a result of the process to develop the Airports National Policy Statement since 2015.

Jesse Norman: Ministers and officials have met regularly with Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) since 2015 to discuss a wide range of issues relating to the operation of the UK’s largest airport, as well as the potential delivery of its expansion. These meetings are governed by propriety arrangements set out in the Statement of Approach, which is published online: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/653867/engaging-with-stakeholders-statement-of-approach-revised-draft-airports-nps.pdf. As per the Statement of Approach, Ministers and officials have not discussed the merits of the content of the Airports National Policy Statement with Heathrow Airport Limited.

European Aviation Safety Agency

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for setting up a UK aviation safety agency in the event that the UK cannot remain part of the European Aviation Safety Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Grayling: The Government and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have been clear that the preference is to remain part of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). However, as a responsible regulator, the CAA continues to undertake a significant amount of preparatory work for all potential outcomes of the EU exit negotiations. This includes a scenario that would see the CAA taking on some of EASA’s current responsibilities to ensure continuity of safety regulation in the near term.

Taxis: Licensing

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for the (a) completion and (b) publication of the report of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and PHV licensing.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of illegal cross-border hiring activity by taxi and private hire drivers and operators.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of private hire drivers obtaining a licences from one local authority with the intention of operating in a different licensing authority.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the powers available to local authorities to tackle  taxi and private hire taxi and private hire drivers and operators that undertake cross-border hiring and operating in a local authority area under a licence issued by a different local authority.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce (a) a definition of cross border hiring and (b) national minimum licensing standards for taxi and private hire drivers and operators.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: At a Westminster Hall Debate last year, the Rt Hon John Hayes MP announced the formation of a Task and Finish group to consider any regulatory issues, their causes and potential remedies. The group’s remit includes considering a range of matters such as cross-border hiring, licensing standards and the use and effectiveness of powers currently available to licensing authorities. Taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) are able to work across licensing areas to carry pre-booked fares regardless of where a journey starts or ends. PHVs are subject to a ‘triple licensing lock’ requirement i.e. the driver, vehicle and operator fulfilling the booking must all be licensed by the same authority. The Group is nearing the conclusion of its considerations and is expected to submit its report shortly.

May 2018 Rail Timetable Implementation Independent Inquiry

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the terms of reference for  Professor Stephen Glaister’s independent review of the implementation of the May 2018 rail timetable includes an assessment of the role of the (a) Department for Transport and (b) Office for Rail and Road.

Joseph Johnson: Yes. The terms of reference for the independent inquiry relate to the railway system as a whole, including the role of the Department for Transport and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). Further details of the terms of reference are published on the ORR’s website: orr.gov.uk.

Network Rail: Property

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of businesses directly affected by Network Rail’s decision to sell its commercial property business.

Joseph Johnson: Around 5,500 commercial buildings will be included in the sale. Once the commercial property business is sold, all current leases will transfer to the new buyer and all lease arrangements and protections for existing tenants will be unchanged.

Network Rail: Property

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support businesses directly affected by the sale of Network Rail’s commercial property business.

Joseph Johnson: There are many small, diverse, independent businesses that occupy Network Rail’s property. Once the business is sold, all current leases will transfer to the new buyer and all lease arrangements and protections will be unchanged. At the time the sale was announced, Network Rail wrote to all tenants about the sale and continues to engage with them on any issues or enquiries they have.

Taxis: Conditions of Employment

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 6953, on taxis: conditions of employment, if his Department will publish the names of (a) formal members of that group, (b) other people who have been invited to discussions or to give evidence to that group and the (c) the organisations which those people represent.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The membership and terms of reference of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle licensing were placed in the libraries of both Houses on 27 September 2017 following agreement of these by the Group. The Group is nearing the conclusion of its considerations and is expected to submit its report shortly. The Government will consider the report and options for publication in due course.

Aviation: Passengers

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the amendments to the May 2018 guidance in the WebTAG aviation module to include the benefits to non-UK residents who are international to international transfer passengers passing through UK airports in the economic benefits of (a) Heathrow Airport Limited north west runway, the preferred scheme in the Airports National Policy Statement and (b) the Gatwick Airport non-preferred scheme.

Jesse Norman: The case for the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme does not rely on the monetised benefits accruing to international transfer (I-to-I) passengers. In the Government’s reports, benefits are clearly separated into those accruing to UK, non-UK and I-to-I passengers for all three schemes. This shows that the Northwest Runway scheme delivers greater benefits to UK residents soonest – it is not overtaken until the 2060s – and it does so without including the full economic benefits expected from this scheme. By maintaining the UK’s hub status through attracting I-to-Is, the Northwest Runway scheme delivers the best outcome for the UK’s connectivity, which in turn should deliver the biggest boost for the UK’s economy by facilitating more freight, trade and productivity growth. In producing its analysis the Government has followed appraisal guidance wherever appropriate in line with standard advice that the guidance should be used proportionately and not prescriptively. While the Government recognises the aim to separate impacts according to whether they accrue to UK or to non-UK residents, this is not always possible. In the case of aviation, it is particularly difficult to disaggregate costs by residency. The Government’s assessment therefore presents all effects to all actors, regardless of residency, to allow a consistent comparison between costs and benefits. The amendment to the Department’s appraisal guidance provides further clarity on how to deal with this issue and is consistent with the Government’s analysis to date.

Department for Transport: Public Expenditure

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on his Department spending more UK-wide expenditure outwith the Barnett formula in Scotland over the last twelve months.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Secretary of State for Transport meets with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a regular basis to discuss a range of matters of mutual interest.

Bus Services: Rural Areas

Sir Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to maintain rural bus routes.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government recognises the extra pressures placed on local authorities to provide services in more isolated areas. Where there is not enough demand for a bus route to be commercially viable in its own right, all local authorities have powers to subsidise bus services. Since January 2014, £40m Bus Service Operator Grant (BSOG) funding per year is paid directly to local authorities, rather than bus operators, in relation to the services that councils fund. This funding is ring-fenced to ensure that it is used to support bus services, but within that it will be for each local authority to decide how to use it. Our Total Transport pilot projects encouraged local authorities to innovate by joining up the commissioning of publicly funded transport services so that available funding goes further. The lessons learned from these projects have been circulated and the Government encourage local authorities to explore these options. The Bus Services Act 2017 also provides a number of tools to facilitate local authorities working together with operators and communities to provide improved bus services in rural areas.

Cycling and Walking: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department has allocated to (a) cycling and (b) walking infrastructure projects in each of the last 20 years.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not hold a detailed breakdown of funding allocated for cycling and walking infrastructure projects in each of the last 20 years. In total £1.2 billion has been identified which may be invested in walking and cycling in England over the current five-year Spending Review period (2016/17 - 2020/21). The money comes from a range of ring-fenced and non-ring-fenced funding streams across a number of Government departments, as set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, which was published in April 2017 and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycling-and-walking-investment-strategy The Government has made further support available for cycling and walking infrastructure in England through various funds, including the National Productivity Investment Fund, Housing Infrastructure Fund, Transforming Cities Fund and Clean Air Fund. Decisions on bidding for funding/the allocation of awarded funding for dedicated cycle networks are for local authorities to make alongside their other local priorities. In the previous five-year period (2011/12 – 2015/16), the Government allocated over £900m for Cycling and Walking projects.

Network Rail: Bridges

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Network Rail on the sale of railway arches across the UK and the effect of such sales on local businesses.

Joseph Johnson: The Department has regular discussions with Network Rail about the proposed sale of its commercial business. When the sale was announced last year, Network Rail wrote to all affected tenants to reassure them that after the sale that all lease arrangements and protections will be unchanged. Network Rail’s sale of its commercial estate business will enable them to focus more effectively on the services people want to see from their railways by improving safety, reliability and capacity.

Airports: National Policy Statements

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has discussed with the Leader of the House the date on which the final vote on the Airports National Policy Statement is planned to take place.

Jesse Norman: The Secretary of State for Transport has regular discussions with the Leader of the House on a wide range of issues. The NPS was laid on 5 June and will be subject to a debate and vote in the House of Commons within 21 sitting days of laying the final NPS in Parliament. The last date that can take place is 9 July 2018.

Lakeside Energy from Waste

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the page 92 of the Government’s response to the Transport Committee’s report, Airports National Policy Statement, published on 23 March 2018, HC 548,  what plans he has to make an assessment of the removal of the Lakeside energy from waste plant upon capacity for treatment of waste to be carried out by Heathrow Airports Ltd under the Airports National Policy Statement.

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 92 of Government’s response to the Transport Committee’s report, Airports National Policy Statement, published on 23 March 2018, HC 548, whether that accounts for hazardous waste separately to other categories of waste.

Jesse Norman: The Government has no plans to make any further assessments of the removal of the Lakeside Energy from Waste plant. The proposed Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) at para 5.142 makes clear that the effects of removing the plant will require assessment by an applicant for Development Consent. The proposed Airports NPS also sets out the requirements on an applicant for the management of the waste generated by the development.

Heathrow Airport Limited

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the cost to the public purse in the event that the Airports National Policy Statement is approved by Parliament but Heathrow Airport Limited is unable to finance its expansion.

Jesse Norman: The Government is clear that the Northwest Runway scheme at Heathrow will be financed by the private sector without Government support. In the event that Heathrow Airport Limited were unable to finance its scheme, there would be no default cost to Government. The Government and its advisers have undertaken considerable assurance work on the financial viability of Heathrow Airport Limited's scheme. Given the transformative nature of the scheme, there will almost certainly be various risks and challenges that will need to be addressed as the scheme design and regulatory framework are developed. The Government has concluded that, so far as can be assessed at this early stage of the process, in current market conditions Heathrow Airport Limited appears in principle to be able to finance expansion privately and without Government support.

Heathrow Airport Limited

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the cost to the public purse in relation to Heathrow Airport Limited in the event that the Airports National Policy Statement is not approved by Parliament.

Jesse Norman: The Government is clear that the construction of the Northwest Runway at Heathrow will be financed entirely by the private sector. Should the Airports National Policy Statement not be approved by Parliament, there would be no financial liability on the Government. There is no agreement in place between HAL and the Department that gives rise to a right to claim for damages, losses, liabilities, costs and/or expenses or any other relief.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Tidal Power: Solway Firth

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the value of the opportunity presented by the tidal lagoon proposal on the Solway.

Claire Perry: I am aware of the proposed offshore tidal lagoon project in the Solway Firth and BEIS officials have had several meetings with the developer. The Government is rigorously assessing the strategic case for tidal lagoons as part of the UK energy mix. A response will be published shortly.

Tidal Power

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to support the development of tidal lagoon technologies as part of the UK energy supply mix.

Claire Perry: The Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the tidal range energy in the bays and estuaries around our coastlines which can demonstrate value for money, including barrages and lagoons. BEIS officials have met with the sponsors of a number of such projects.

Furs: Trade

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what financial support his Department (a) offered and (b) granted to the international fur trade in each year since 2010.

Andrew Griffiths: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not offered or granted financial support to the international fur trade.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: International Fur Trade Federation

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what meetings have taken place between Ministers or officials of his Department and representatives of the International Fur Traders Association from 2010 to date.

Andrew Griffiths: Neither BEIS Ministers or officials have met with representatives of the International Fur Federation.

Trade Unions

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to Table 4 in the Director of Labour Market Enforcement’s 2018-19 Strategy, published on 9 May 2018, what criteria were used to compile the non-exhaustive list of trades unions.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to Section H of Table 5 in the Director of Labour Market Enforcement’s 2018-19 Strategy, published on 9 May 2018, how many workers in each sector of the transport industry were recorded as being paid (a) at or (b) below the National Minimum Wage.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to Section 3.8 of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement’s (DLME) 2018-19 Strategy, published on 9 May 2018, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the contribution of regulatory bodies in the (a) transport and (b) offshore energy industries to the DLME’s Information Hub.

Andrew Griffiths: Table 4 lists some of the key stakeholders that the Director of Labour Market Enforcement consulted to gather evidence for his Labour Market Enforcement Strategy 2018-19. This is not an exhaustive list but illustrates the breadth of stakeholders connected to labour market enforcement, including those trade unions with whom the Director had most engagement in developing his 2018/19 Strategy. A full list of stakeholders who responded to the consultation, including trade unions, is located at the Strategy’s Annex C. In the 2016 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), 34,700 jobs in the Transportation and Storage sector were paid at or below the National Minimum Wage (NMW). However, it is not possible to further break down this figure for individual sectors within the transport industry. The Government will publish new evidence to the Low Pay Commission containing ASHE 2017 estimates of jobs below minimum wage rates and enforcement statistics for 2017/18 later this year. The Director has built strong relationships with a range of organisations since his office was established in January 2017. The Government is supportive of the work the Information Hub has taken to promote greater information sharing amongst stakeholders and increase its knowledge of labour exploitation in the UK labour market. There have been no specific discussions at Cabinet-level on the contribution of regulatory bodies in the transport and offshore energy industries to the DLME’s Information Hub.

Life Sciences: Databases

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to streamline the (a) ethical and (b) legal approval processes for national datasets recommended in the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy; and which body is responsible for the implementation of that recommendation.

Mr Sam Gyimah: NHS Digital is responsible for implementing this recommendation. It continues to work to improve processes required to gain research approvals and to make the data applicant process more efficient. NHS Digital is working with others in the sector to ensure consistent understanding of the laws, policy and guidance around the use of health data in research.

Galileo System

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for a UK satellite program after the UK leaves the EU in the event that the UK does not remain part of the Galileo satellite programme.

Mr Sam Gyimah: On 2 May, the Government announced that it is developing options for a British Global Navigation Satellite System. The work is led by the UK Space Agency, and a task force of Government specialists and industry will work quickly to develop options that will provide both civilian and encrypted signals and be compatible with the GPS system. Such work will draw on UK expertise in developing satellite technology and the UK’s critical contribution to the EU Galileo programme to develop plans for an innovative system that could deliver on the UK’s security needs and provide other services. The Government has been clear there is a mutual benefit to the UK remaining involved in Galileo and is working hard to deliver this. However, without the assurance that UK industry can collaborate on an equal basis and without continued access to the necessary security-related information, the UK could be obliged to end its participation in the project.

Horizon 2020

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken develop a UK scientific research programme after the UK leaves the EU in the event that the UK does not remain part of the EU's science programme.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Joint Report sets out that the UK and the EU fully intend UK participants’ eligibility in Horizon 2020 to remain unchanged for the duration of the programme. This includes eligibility to participate in Horizon 2020 projects and to receive Horizon 2020 funding for the lifetime of projects. The Government encourages the UK research and innovation community to continue to bid for Horizon 2020 funding and participate in Horizon 2020 projects. The Government's underwrite guarantee of Horizon 2020 funding remains in place in the event that commitments enshrined in the Joint Report are not met. This guarantees funding for UK participants in projects ongoing at the point of exit. It also includes projects that are only informed of their success or sign a grant agreement after the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

EURATOM

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for setting up a UK atomic energy agency in the event that the UK cannot remain part of Euratom after the UK leaves the EU.

Richard Harrington: As the UK leaves Euratom, this Government is putting in place appropriate measures to provide maximum continuity for the civil nuclear sector. New international safeguards agreements have been signed with the International Atomic Energy Agency, arrangements for continued nuclear cooperation with key trading partners are being put in place and the Nuclear Safeguards Bill, which provides the legal framework for a civil nuclear safeguards regime, has completed its passage through Parliament and will shortly become an Act. The domestic nuclear safeguards regime to be established under the powers provided by the Nuclear Safeguards Bill, will be operated by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). This Government has been working closely with ONR to put in place the measures needed to ensure continuity for the civil nuclear sector and ensure the UK continues to meet its international commitments upon withdrawal from Euratom.

Renewable Energy: Small Businesses

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what financial support the Government is providing to small and medium-sized businesses in the renewables sector.

Claire Perry: The UK is a world leader in clean growth and much of the UK’s renewable electricity sector is comprised of small and medium sized businesses. Small and medium-sized businesses in the renewables sector benefit from a range of support delivered as a result of Government policies, for example through the contracts for difference, the feed in tariff and the renewable heat incentive policies. In addition, the Government is investing £2.5 billion to support low carbon innovation in the UK between 2015 and 2021 and are making clean growth a priority of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

Coal Fired Power Stations: Standards

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average efficiency is of the UK coal-fired power station fleet; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The thermal efficiency of UK coal-fired power stations on a gross calorific value basis was 35.0 per cent in 2016, the latest available data. The data is published in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES), table 5.10, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electricity-chapter-5-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes.

Energy: Housing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much electricity an average UK household consumed per annum in each year since 2010 for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Average annual electricity consumption in the UK is shown in the table below; Average annual consumption per household (kWh) 20102011201220132014201520162017kWh4,5204,2144,2924,2093,9713,9213,8893,750  * Source; Quarterly Energy Prices, Average annual domestic electricity bills, table QEP 2.2.5

Coal Fired Power Stations

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much coal is required to produce (a) one KWh of electricity in a UK coal-fired power station ( b) one tonne of cement and (c) one tonne of steel; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Regarding the coal required to produce a) electricity, b) cement, and c) steel: a) In 2016 coal power stations in the UK used 0.4 kg of steam coal per kWh of electricity.(Source: Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) tables 5.1 and 5.3.) b) We do not hold data at a sufficient level of disaggregation to estimate the steam coal required to produce one tonne of cement. However, the World Coal Association reports that the production of one tonne of cement requires around 200 kg of coal.(Source: https://www.worldcoal.org/coal/uses-coal/coal-cement) c) We do not hold data at a sufficient level of disaggregation to estimate the coal required to produce one tonne of steel. However, the World Coal Association reports that the production of steel requires around 770 kg of coking coal through the Basic Oxygen Furnace production route.(Source: https://www.worldcoal.org/coal/uses-coal/how-steel-produced)

Ombudsman Services: Retail Trade

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring all retailers to participate in the Consumer Ombudsman service.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government recognises that creating an environment where businesses respect consumer rights is essential to ensuring markets work for all but that getting satisfactory resolution can sometimes be difficult. The ‘Modernising Consumer Markets’ Green Paper seeks to strengthen and improve the enforcement of consumer rights, including access to ombudsmen and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services. The Green Paper asks whether there should be an automatic right for consumers to access ombudsmen and ADR services in sectors with the highest levels of consumer harm. BEIS officials will assess and report back to me in the autumn where and in what sectors membership of an ombudsman or ADR service might be mandated in order to improve consumer outcomes.

Hitachi

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the safety record of Hitachi in relation to its nuclear power projects throughout the world.

Richard Harrington: Nuclear power is proven technology with modern reactors capable of producing safe and secure low carbon electricity. Any reactor deployed in the UK must meet the robust independent regulatory requirements which include early assessment of the safety, security and environmental impacts of reactor designs through the Generic Design Assessment (GDA), prior to any application for a site-specific statutory Nuclear Site Licence. This is a robust process taking several years to complete, which ensures that all aspects of new station design are thoroughly assessed prior to construction and operation. Hitachi’s UK ABWR reactor completed GDA in December 2017 and full details of that assessment are available at www.onr.org.uk/new-reactors/uk-abwr/index.htm.

Nuclear Power: Finance

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will undertake a public consultation on the use of funding from the public purse in support of a nuclear programme.

Richard Harrington: As announced in my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s statement to Parliament on 4th June 2018, the Government has decided to enter into negotiations with Hitachi over the Wylfa Newydd new nuclear project. As part of these negotiations Government is considering direct investment into the project. Details of any Government investment are subject to negotiation and yet to be decided. The Secretary of State made the statement at the earliest opportunity and committed to keeping Parliament informed during the negotiations, although due to the commercially sensitive nature of the negotiations, it is not appropriate to consult publicly on the details of the financing arrangements. As set out in the Secretary of State’s statement to Parliament on 4th June 2018 it remains the Government’s objective in the longer term that new nuclear projects, like other energy infrastructure, should be financed by the private sector.

Nuclear Power: Cost Effectiveness

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what criteria his Department plans to use to assess the value for money of financing arrangements for a new nuclear programme.

Richard Harrington: The Government published a value for money assessment for Hinkley Point C at the time of the deal being signed and will carry out a value for money assessment for any future new nuclear project before a final deal is agreed. The Government will, at the appropriate time, publish this assessment which would set out the criteria used to determine value for money of the financing arrangements.

Wylfa Power Station: Finance

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Oral Statement  of 4 June 2018, on Nuclear Power, Official Report, column 76, if he will publish the direct investment being considered for Wylfa Newydd.

Richard Harrington: As announced in Parliament on 4 June 2018, Hitachi and the UK Government have decided to enter into negotiations in relation to the proposed Wylfa Newydd project and Government is considering direct investment into the project. Details of any Government investment are subject to negotiation and yet to be decided. The successful conclusion of these negotiations will be subject to full Government, regulatory and other approvals—including, but not limited to, value for money, due diligence and state aid requirements. These negotiations are commercially sensitive and no final decision has yet been taken to proceed with the project.

Wylfa Power Station: Cost Effectiveness

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made a comparative assessment of the value for money of (a) Wylfa Newydd nuclear project and (b) a low-carbon alternative electricity generator.

Richard Harrington: As announced in my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s statement to Parliament on 4th June 2018, the Government has decided to enter into negotiations with Hitachi over the Wylfa Newydd new nuclear project. No final decision has yet been taken to proceed with the project. The Government published a value for money assessment for Hinkley Point C at the time of the deal being signed and will carry out a value for money assessment for any future new nuclear project before a final deal is agreed. As the Government sent out in its response to the Public Accounts Committee inquiry into Hinkley Point C on 25th January 2018, a review of the strategic case for new nuclear would form a key part of the value for money case for any proposed new nuclear project (as it was for Hinkley Point C). This would include a comparison across different technologies.

Agency Workers: Wales

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of agency workers who are on pay between assignment contracts in Wales.

Andrew Griffiths: There is limited data available on the number of agency workers on pay between assignment contracts. The Government has previously published research which, building on academic studies, suggested that between 8-20% of the UK’s estimated 1.29 million agency workers are on pay between assignment contracts. However, this estimate was taken from desk research and a small sample of interviews, so we do not consider it representative. There is no breakdown of pay between assignment contracts by geographic area.

Fracking

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential increase in the manufacturing of non-degradable plastics from an increase in fracking in the UK.

Claire Perry: Pursuant to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 31st May 2018 to Question 146306, the Department will not be making an assessment because natural gas and related bi-products produced from shale rock are indistinguishable from that produced from other hydrocarbon reservoirs.

Exports: USA

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department is providing to UK companies who export steel products to the US to help them apply for product exemptions under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.

Richard Harrington: The US administration has a process for domestic US steel consumers to apply for individual product exclusions from US s232 measures. The Department hosted a meeting on 5 June between US lawyers and UK steel and aluminium industry representatives to share information on the product exclusion process. We remain in regular dialogue with UK industry and will support them through this process where possible. Details of the process are set out on the US Department of Commerce website (link here ).

Offshore Industry: Free Movement of Labour

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of ending freedom of movement on the oil and gas industry after the UK leaves the EU.

Claire Perry: The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. For example, the Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to gather evidence on patterns of EU migration and the role of migration in the wider economy, ahead of our exit from the EU. We have welcomed their interim report and look forward to their full report in the autumn. In addition, a sector report on oil and fossil fuel production produced by the Department for the House of Commons Committee on Exiting the European Union was published by the Committee in December 2017: https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/exiting-the-european-union-committee/inquiries/parliament-2017/department-sectoral-analyses-17-19/publications/. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would undermine our negotiating position. As such, the sectoral reports do not contain material that we judge would undermine the UK’s hand in the negotiations, or material that is commercially or market sensitive. The Government engages with oil and gas businesses and stakeholders on a regular basis, helping to ensure that the views of the offshore oil and gas industry are represented and will continue to do so as EU exit negotiations develop.

Renewable Energy: Free Movement of Labour

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of ending freedom of movement on the renewables industry after the UK leaves the EU.

Claire Perry: The Government has acknowledged the positive contribution that EU citizens have made to our economy and society. The Citizens Rights Agreement will allow EU citizens in the UK to continue to live their lives broadly as they do now. EU citizens coming to the UK during the Implementation Period will also be able to live, work and study as they do now, but there will be a registration scheme for EU citizens who arrive in the UK during this period. The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee to provide evidence on the impacts on the UK labour market of the UK’s exit from the European Union and how the immigration system should be aligned with our modern Industrial Strategy. An interim report was published in March and the Committee’s final report is due in September.

Carbon Capture and Storage: Free Movement of Labour

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of ending freedom of movement on carbon capture and storage and the ability of that sector to attract people with the necessary skills for the industry after the UK leaves the EU.

Claire Perry: We want the UK to become a global technology leader in Carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) and to maximise the associated economic opportunities for the UK. CCUS has a potentially important role in decarbonising industry, power and heat in the UK. The Clean Growth Strategy sets out a range of actions – domestically and internationally – that we will take to unlock the technology’s potential, including investing £100 million in innovation for industry and CCUS. The Government is considering all aspects of its future relationship with the EU, including the arrangements for transport and geological storage of carbon dioxide, as well as how to continue development of CCUS skills and technologies. Cost effective decarbonisation remains a priority for the UK, and across Europe. We will work domestically and with our trading partners to reduce costs, accelerate deployment and maximise the UK opportunities of CCUS.

Energy: International Cooperation

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made plans for the UK to participate in the North Seas Countries Offshore Grid Initiative after the UK leaves the EU.

Claire Perry: The Political Declaration on energy cooperation between the North Seas Countries is a voluntary, intergovernmental initiative outside formal EU structures. Therefore, the UK’s participation is not affected by EU exit. North Seas cooperation is an area with the potential to benefit both UK consumers and business, by facilitating renewable energy and contributing to decarbonisation and security of supply. The UK has brought experience, expertise and leadership to this initiative, and there is no reason that EU exit should change this.

Renewable Energy: EU Law

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made plans for the UK to incorporate the Renewable Energy Directive into domestic law after the UK leaves the EU.

Claire Perry: The UK has already transposed elements of the original Renewable Energy Directive, in particular the target of 15% of the UK’s energy coming from renewables by 2020, with the Promotion of the Use of Energy from Renewable Sources Regulations 2011. Which, if any, further elements of the original and recast Directive are incorporated into domestic law will depend on the outcome of EU exit negotiations.

Offshore Industry: Taxation

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on implementing the Transferable Tax History mechanism in the 2018-19 financial year.

Claire Perry: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State and my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer regularly meet to discuss a range of issues, including the oil and gas industry. The Government will publish draft legislation on Transferable Tax History shortly.

Energy: Scotland

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it his policy to use energy policy to boost employment in Scotland.

Claire Perry: Our policy is to ensure that the UK has safe, secure and low carbon supplies of energy. In line with our Industrial Strategy, as our energy industry develops, we expect to see job opportunities created across the UK.

Renewable Energy: UK Trade with EU

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect on the renewables industry of the UK exiting the single market.

Claire Perry: As set out in my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Mansion House speech on 2 March 2018, the UK is seeking the broadest and deepest possible agreement – covering more sectors, and co-operating more fully than any Free Trade Agreement anywhere in the world today – for its future economic partnership with the European Union. Whatever our future relationship with the EU, we remain committed to delivering dependable, secure and low-carbon energy. Leaving the EU will not change any of our domestic statutory commitments to reduce our emissions, as laid out in the Climate Change Act 2008 – indeed, those targets are more ambitious and challenging than those set by EU legislation.

Offshore Industry: UK Trade with EU

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect on the oil and gas industry of the UK exiting the single market.

Claire Perry: The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. For example, a sector report on oil and fossil fuel production produced by the Department for the House of Commons Committee on Exiting the European Union was published by the Committee in December 2017: https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/exiting-the-european-union-committee/inquiries/parliament-2017/department-sectoral-analyses-17-19/publications/. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would undermine our negotiating position. The Government engages with oil and gas businesses and stakeholders on a regular basis, helping to ensure that the views of the offshore oil and gas industry are represented and will continue to do so as EU exit negotiations develop.

Carbon Capture and Storage: UK Trade with EU

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the single market on the carbon capture and storage industry.

Claire Perry: We want the UK to become a global technology leader in Carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) and to maximise the associated economic opportunities for the UK. CCUS has a potentially important role in decarbonising industry, power and heat in the UK. The Clean Growth Strategy sets out a range of actions – domestically and internationally – that we will take to unlock the technology’s potential, including investing £100 million in innovation for industry and CCUS. The Government is considering all aspects of its future relationship with the EU, including the arrangements for transport and geological storage of carbon dioxide, as well as how to continue development of CCUS technologies. Cost effective decarbonisation remains a priority for the UK, and across Europe. We will work domestically and with our trading partners to reduce costs, accelerate deployment and maximise the UK opportunities of CCUS.

Wylfa Power Station

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many representations has he received from civil society organisations on the proposed Wylfa nuclear plant in Wales; and how many of those representations have been sent a response.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 18 June 2018



The Department receives regular correspondence both from individuals and civil society organisations on the issues relating to nuclear, including on the proposed Wylfa project. We ensure that all correspondence is given due consideration and responded to in a timely matter. Ministers and officials also hold regular engagement forums with various non-Governmental organisations on nuclear matters.

Carbon Capture and Storage: Expenditure

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much his Department has spent in each of the last 10 financial years on assessing carbon capture and storage as a future UK energy source.

Claire Perry: As part of the Government’s CCS Commercialisation Programme (2011-15), a £125 million R&D programme was established with investment from central Government, the Research Councils (the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Centre (EPSRC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)), Innovate UK and the Energy Technologies Institute. Between 2008 and 2015, the Government invested £168 million in supporting the CCS Demonstration Programme (£68 million) and the CCS Commercialisation Programme (£100 million). The Clean Growth Strategy, published in October 2017, stated that a further £162 million on innovation for Business and Industry will be invested over the current Spending Review period, of which BEIS has allocated £100 million for Industry and CCUS Innovation from the £505 million BEIS Energy Innovation Programme.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on which dates (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department met representatives on the Hinkley C nuclear power station project in each of the last five years.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 18 June 2018



As this is a project of national importance, Ministers and officials have met representatives of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power project on a number of occasions over the last five years and will continue to do so.

Renewable Energy: Finance

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the post-FIT consultation framework and the allocation of funding to onshore and solar power.

Claire Perry: We are considering options for small-scale low carbon generation beyond 2019, including onshore wind and solar, and a consultation on the Feed-in Tariff scheme will be published in due course.

National Grid Electricity Transmission

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ensure that the National Grid remains part of the European Network of Transmission Operators for electricity and gas after the UK leaves the EU.

Claire Perry: We want to maintain relationships and cooperation with EU partners as we move into any agreed implementation period and future partnership. We are considering all options for doing so, including through National Grid’s membership of the European Networks of Transmission Operators for Electricity and Gas.

Energy Supply: EU Countries

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made plans for the UK to remain part of EU-wide solidarity mechanisms in the event of an acute energy supply crisis.

Claire Perry: Solidarity agreements for gas are due to be in place by December 2018 and the UK is on track to deliver these. For electricity, the current solidarity agreements are part of the arrangements of the Internal Energy Market. The Government has been clear that we want to secure broad energy co-operation with the EU. This includes exploring options for the UK’s continued participation in the EU’s Internal Energy Market, including solidarity agreements.

Electricity: EU Countries

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the UK will still be able to enter capacity market auctions after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The GB Capacity Market delivers secure supplies of electricity to homes and businesses and will continue to do so after Brexit.

Tidal Power: Finance

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department's policy is on allocating funds from the public purse to expand the UK's tidal energy capacity.

Claire Perry: Tidal stream projects are eligible to bid into the next Contract for Difference allocation round, which is planned for Spring 2019.

Wylfa Power Station

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department made of international trends in the use of nuclear technology to generate electricity before beginning negotiations with Hitachi on Wylfa Newydd; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: The Government believes that nuclear has an important role to play in the UK’s future energy mix as we seek to decarbonise the economy. Each country’s energy policy will be dependent on a number of factors, namely its geography, natural resources and skill base. We belong to a number of organisations including the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Energy Agency through which we keep abreast of overseas nuclear development.

Telephone Services: Fees and Charges

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of regulation 41 of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

Andrew Griffiths: The Department is undertaking a review of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, including Regulation 41 (the provision of basic rate customer helplines), and will publish a report by in due course as required under the Regulations.

Galileo System

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential for job losses as a result of the UK withdrawing from the Galileo satellite navigation system.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Government has been in close contact with UK industry throughout the negotiations on Galileo and will continue to work with them.Whilst these discussions continue, we are also taking action to ensure our vibrant space sector continues to succeed. The UK’s Space Sector has recently published Prosperity from Space, their blueprint for creating an extra 30,000 high skill jobs in the sector by 2030 by working in partnership with Government.

Global Navigation Satellite Systems

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the UK’s ability to launch a network of satellites equivalent to the EU’s Galileo satellite navigation system; what estimate his Department has made of the annual running costs of such a network; in which territories the UK would place the required ground stations; and in which area of the country launches of satellites would take place.

Mr Sam Gyimah: My rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister confirmed on 2 May that the Government is developing options for a British Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that will provide civilian and encrypted signals, and be compatible with the US GPS system. The Government has been clear there is a mutual benefit to the UK remaining involved in the EU Galileo programme and we are working hard to deliver this. However, without the assurance that UK industry can collaborate on an equal basis and without continued access to the necessary security-related information, the UK could be obliged to end its participation in the project. Initial assessments confirm that the UK space sector has the technical capability to design, build and deliver a domestic satellite navigation system as a result of its extensive experience in delivering the Galileo programme. The options for such a system, including its objectives in terms of services and capabilities and associated costs, are now being studied further in the work led by the UK Space Agency. The options for the location of the necessary ground infrastructure, including the suitability of the UK’s Overseas Territories, and the options for the launch of the satellites are also being considered as part of the work that is now under way.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Courts Martial

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government is providing funding for lawyers at Israeli military courts in the West Bank.

Alistair Burt: The Government has provided funding for legal assistance to Palestinian children who are subjected to Israeli military courts in the West Bank.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the validity of reports that the UAE is leading a military offensive on the port of Hodeidah.

Alistair Burt: ​Military action by Coalition-backed forces to take Hodeidah port back from Houthi militia is currently underway.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to prevent an assault on Hodeidah port.

Alistair Burt: ​Following the start of military action by Coalition-backed forces to take Hodeidah port back from Houthi militia, we call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and prioritise the protection of civilians.We are in regular contact with the Coalition about the need to ensure that any military operations in and around Hodeidah are conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law, including in relation to the protection of civilians, and do not disrupt commercial and humanitarian flows through the port. The Coalition has assured us that it is incorporating humanitarian concerns into their operational plans. It is vital to maintain the flow of food, fuel and medical supplies into Yemen. For their part the Houthis must not compromise port facilities or hinder the humanitarian response.

Middle East

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will respond to Early Day Motion 1258, on the	70th anniversary of the Nakba.

Alistair Burt: ​The British Government remains clear that there needs to be a just, fair, agreed and realistic solution to the Palestinian refugee question, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1515. We are committed to supporting the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and Palestinian refugees across Middle East. I announced on 15 March 2018 that the UK would deliver its next round of financial support £28 million earlier than planned, to help meet the growing needs of Palestinian refugees across the region.

Najah al-Sheikh

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on allegations of torture by Bahraini activist Najah Al Sheikh; and whether UK representatives will attend her next hearing on 25 June.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK has a continuing dialogue with the Government of Bahrain in which we raise individual cases. Our Embassy in Bahrain has monitored this specific case and will attend the next hearing. The UK encourages those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies. We urge these bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.

Hajer Mansoor Hassan

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on detention conditions and access to medical care for detainee Hajer Mansoor.

Alistair Burt: ​I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer I gave to question 139036. We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the appropriate oversight body. We urge these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such claims. We understand that the National Institution for Human Rights is aware of this case and is monitoring the situation, and that the Ombudsman of the Ministry of the Interior is also investigating the claims and has been in touch with Ms Mansoor. We have raised the case with the Government of Bahrain at a senior level and continue to monitor the situation.

Bahrain: Politics and Government

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on the outcome of the trial which revoked the citizenship of 115 people and left some stateless.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK has concerns about the revocation of nationality when it renders a person stateless. We have raised this at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain and will continue to do so.

Germany: Thalidomide

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his German counterpart on compensation for Thalidomide victims from the German Government.

Sir Alan Duncan: I have followed this issue closely and appreciate its importance. I have met representatives of the Thalidomide Trust on several occasions, most recently in November 2017. I subsequently raised Thalidomide with the then German Ambassador in January 2018.The British Government has not been involved directly in talks with the German Government on compensation for British survivors of Thalidomide but wishes to assist where it can. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has helped the Trust make its own representations to the German Government and the Trust held meetings with the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs in September and December 2017. FCO officials remain in close contact with the Thalidomide Trust and will continue to pursue discussions with the German Government in an effort to make progress on securing successful compensation for those eligible.

Morocco: EU External Trade

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the EU Commission on the proposed amendment to the EU-Morocco Association Agreement; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the consent of the indigenous people of Western Sahara to that  amendment has been given.

Alistair Burt: ​We and other EU member states have had regular discussions with the EU Commission on the proposed amendment to the EU-Morocco Association Agreement. The European Commission is seeking to ensure that the amendment is fully consistent with the requirements of the European Court of Justice ruling of December 2016 on the applicability of the EU/Morocco Association Agreement to Western Sahara. The Commission has consulted a wide spectrum of Western Saharan representatives, stake-holders, civil society, and other organisations. The EU Commission's report of its consultations is available online, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=SWD:2018:346:FIN&from=FR. We are currently considering the report.

Iran: Armed Conflict

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to urge Iranian compliance with Security Council Resolution 2216.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK remains concerned by Iran's destabilising behaviour across the region, particularly its proliferation of ballistic missiles and support to non-state groups, including the Houthis in Yemen. We have consistently raised concerns with Iran about its regional behaviour, including at the highest levels, and urged them to end supply of weapons including missiles to the Houthis. Such transfers threaten regional security and prolong the conflict in Yemen. In addition, the EU has in place more than 200 sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities for activities of concern including ballistic missile activity and IRGC links, including against the IRGC in its entirety. The EU arms embargo against Iran remains in place.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to secure the immediate release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Alistair Burt: ​We remain very concerned about all our dual nationals detained in Iran. We continue to raise their cases with the Iranian government at every opportunity, and make decisions in line with what we believe will produce the best outcomes in their cases. However, we will not be providing a continuous commentary. We judge this will not be helpful, or in the best interest of each case.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has identified the factors which are preventing the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: ​We remain very concerned about all our dual nationals detained in Iran. We continue to raise their cases with the Iranian government at every opportunity, and make decisions in line with what we believe will produce the best outcomes in their cases. However, we will not be providing a continuous commentary. We judge this will not be helpful, or in the best interest of each case.

North Korea: USA

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his (a) South Korean and (b) Japanese counterparts on the outcome of the US-North Korea summit which took place on 12 June 2018.

Mark Field: The Foreign Secretary regularly speaks to his counterparts in Japan and Republic of Korea (ROK) about securing a diplomatic solution to the security threat posed by North Korea. Since the summit he has spoken to ROK Foreign Minister Kang on 15 June

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress the Government has made on the release of Libyan assets in the UK to compensate the UK victims of Gaddafi sponsored IRA violence.

Alistair Burt: ​There is no lawful basis for the UK to seize or change ownership of frozen Libyan assets. These belong to the Libyan people. The UK must fulfil its international commitments and legal obligations regarding frozen assets.We are committed to seeking justice for all those affected by Qadhafi-sponsored terrorism in the UK. I have raised this issue repeatedly with the Libyan Government, on a number of occasions including during my visit to Tripoli in April.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment has his department made of the factors which are preventing the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Alistair Burt: ​We remain very concerned about all our dual nationals detained in Iran. We continue to raise their cases with the Iranian government at every opportunity, and make decisions in line with what we believe will produce the best outcomes in their cases. However, we will not be providing a continuous commentary. We judge this will not be helpful, or in the best interest of each case.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when officials of his Department last raised the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with their Iranian counterparts.

Alistair Burt: We remain very concerned about all our dual nationals detained in Iran. We continue to raise their cases with the Iranian government at every opportunity, and make decisions in line with what we believe will produce the best outcomes in their cases. However, we will not be providing a continuous commentary. We judge this will not be helpful, or in the best interest of each case.

Korea: Joint Exercises

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking in upholding the Korean Armistice Agreement.

Mark Field: The United Kingdom is one of sixteen Sending States to the United Nations Command (UNC) in the Republic of Korea, which is responsible for maintaining the Korean Armistice Agreement. We have three staff officers permanently based in the UNC, and contribute additional staff to the UNC for annual joint United States-Republic of Korea military exercises. The United Kingdom's Defence Attaché to the Republic of Korea is the UK Member of the Military Armistice Commission, which supervises the implementation of the Agreement and settles any violations of the Armistice through negotiations.

Uzbekistan: Religious Freedom

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Uzbekistan authorities on the respect of freedom of religion and respect for minorities in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​During Uzbekistan's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 9 May we asked the government of Uzbekistan what action they were taking to address restrictions on religious groups other than officially sanctioned religions. We welcome the recent adoption by the Uzbek government of an action plan on freedom of religion or belief which includes measures to simplify registration procedures for religious groups and minorities and facilitate expression of religion or belief.

Gaza and West Bank: Elections

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Israel and (b) the Palestinian Authority on the possibility for holding elections in the West Bank and Gaza; and what assessment he has made of the potential for such elections to take place.

Alistair Burt: ​We continue to believe that strong, inclusive and democratic institutions, based on respect for the rule of law and human rights, are crucial elements in establishing a viable and sovereign Palestinian State. Genuine and democratic elections across the Occupied Palestinian Territories are a positive goal.

Syria: Crimes Against Humanity

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to support the Government of Germany in its efforts to use an international arrest warrant to detain a member of the Syrian regime on grounds of crimes against humanity.

Alistair Burt: ​We are aware of these reports which have not been confirmed publicly by the German authorities. The UK strongly supports efforts to hold to account those responsible for atrocities in Syria, including the work of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria and the UN International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism established to assist in the investigation and prosecution of those atrocities.

Bahrain: Technical Assistance

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding his Department allocated to the budget for the UK technical assistance programme to Bahrain for 2018-2019.

Alistair Burt: ​The Government works with a number of implementation partners and beneficiaries to support Bahraini-led reform. These programmes aim to support progress on building effective and accountable institutions, strengthening the rule of law, and justice reform. All of our work is in line with international standards, and aims to share the UK's expertise and experience. Any training provided by, or on behalf of, the British Government fully complies with our domestic and international human rights obligations. As many projects and programme activities deliver across the region, it is not possible to provide a breakdown according to each beneficiary state.

Bahrain: Detainees

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Bahraini counterpart on the arrest and enforced disappearance of (a) Zakiya Isa al-Barbouri and (b) Fatima Daoud Hassan.

Alistair Burt: Our Embassy in Bahrain has a continuing dialogue with the Government of Bahrain and all Bahraini human rights oversight bodies. Officials are seeking clarification on the cases of Zakeya Albarboori and Fatema Dawood Juma.The UK encourages those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies. We urge these bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.

Maher al-Khabbaz

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Bahrain on the (a) trial and (b) sentence given in relation to Maher al-Khabbaz.

Alistair Burt: The UK is firmly opposed to the death penalty. It is the Government's longstanding position to oppose capital sentences in all circumstances and countries. We make this clear to the Government of Bahrain.We continue to follow the case of Maher al-Khabbaz and, if we have concerns, we raise them at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain.

Bahrain: Trials

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the compliance with international law of the trial of (a) Hajer Mansoor, (b) Sayed Nizar Alwadaei and (c) Mahmood Marzoo.

Alistair Burt: Our Embassy in Bahrain and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continue to monitor the cases of Hajar Mansoor Hassan, Sayed Nazar al-Wadaei and Mahmood Marzooq Mansoor. We have raised these cases at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain.We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention or the legal process to report these to the appropriate oversight bodies. We encourage those oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations.

UN Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty Review Conference

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what actions the Government agreed to at the 2018 Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​No decisions were taken at this year’s Preparatory Comittee for the 2020 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. The British Government remains committed to working with a wide range of states on how we can tackle the challenges that we face on non-proliferation and disarmament, and on how to enable access to the peaceful use of nuclear technology. We will continue to press for the entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the start of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty in the Conference on Disarmament, and increased transparency and trust between Nuclear Weapons States in order to develop global conditions in which nuclear armed states feel confident enough to relinquish their weapons. In particular, the British Government will continue its leading role in resolving the considerable technical and procedural challenges involved in nuclear disarmament verification.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Brexit

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of HMRC of 23 May and 5 June 2018 to the Treasury Committee, whether he had seen prior to the publication of the estimated figures of £17 billion to £20 billion for the cost of the maximum facilitation model in a letter to that Committee on 5 June 2018 (a) submissions and (b) briefing papers on those figures; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of those estimates.

Sir Alan Duncan: The analysis to support the estimated £17-20 billion figure was published in a letter by the Chief Executive of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs to the Treasury Select Committee on 5 June, 2018.The Government is considering two approaches to a future customs relationship with the EU: a 'new customs partnership' and a 'highly streamlined customs arrangement'. Ongoing analysis continues to support the development of both models.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Diplomatic Service

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on securing the return of Mr Tofla Ndele from the Democratic Republic of Congo to his family in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: We have raised our concerns about Mr Tofla Ndele's case at the highest levels of government in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and will continue to do so. I raised the case with the DRC Foreign Minister on 12 April. Consular officials in Kinshasa have visited Mr Ndele regularly since his detention in September 2017, most recently on 19 April 2018. Following our initial lobbying, Mr Ndele was able, in March 2018, to have a visit from a family member for the first time since his arrest.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Diplomatic Service

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many British citizens have received consular assistance from HM Government following detention in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last eight years.

Harriett Baldwin: Since 2010, 39 British nationals have received consular assistance from the Government due to arrest and/or detention in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Free Movement of People

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps is his Department taking to secure freedom of movement rights for UK citizens living in EU members states after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK pushed strongly for the inclusion of ongoing movement rights during the first phase of negotiations on citizens’ rights in the Withdrawal Agreement, but the EU was not ready to include them.We recognise that onward movement is an important issue for UK nationals in the EU, and we remain committed to raising this issue during negotiations on the future relationship.

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on the level of division in society of a second referendum on the UK leaving the EU. .

Mr Robin Walker: There will not be a second referendum and we are leaving the EU. The people of the UK have delivered a firm mandate and the Government is committed to delivering on it. Our focus now is on getting the best deal for every person in the UK by bringing all sides together and reaching agreement on a deep and special partnership with the EU.

Common Travel Area

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to Article 2 (2) of the draft protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland of the draft agreement on the withdrawal of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union, if he will publish the rights and privileges associated with of the Common Travel Area.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK Government is firmly committed to maintaining the Common Travel Area (CTA) and to protecting the rights enjoyed by UK and Irish nationals when in each other’s state. The Commission’s draft Withdrawal Agreement Treaty text builds on December’s Joint report and confirms that the UK and Ireland can continue to work together as part of these arrangements. The reciprocal rights for UK and Irish nationals associated with the Common Travel Area are described in the UK Government’s August 2017 position paper on Northern Ireland and Ireland, and include: ● the right to enter and reside in each others’ state without being subject to a requirement to obtain permission;● the right to work without being subject to a requirement to obtain permission;● the right to study;● access to social welfare entitlements and benefits;● access to health services; and● the right to vote in local and parliamentary elections.

Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will make an assessment of the prospects of securing an extension to Article 50 to provide more time to negotiate the UK’s departure from the EU.

Suella Braverman: It is not the Government’s policy to seek seeking to extend the Article 50 process. We will use all the time available to get the right agreement for the UK and one that works in the mutual interest of both sides.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Brexit

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of HMRC of 23 May and 5 June 2018 to the Treasury Committee, whether he had seen prior to the publication of the estimated figures of £17 billion to £20 billion for the cost of the maximum facilitation model in a letter to that Committee on 5 June 2018 (a) submissions and (b) briefing papers on those figures; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of those estimates.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government is undertaking a wide range of cross-Whitehall analysis in support of all aspects of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. In assessing the options for the UK's future customs relationship, the Government will be guided by what delivers the greatest advantage to the UK and by our strategic objectives:Keeping trade with the EU as frictionless as possible;Avoiding a ‘hard border’ between Northern Ireland and Ireland;Establishing an independent international trade policy.We have been clear the Government will not provide an ongoing commentary on internal analytical work that is being carried out within Government.

Department of Health and Social Care

Diabetes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of people who were diagnosed with diabetes in (a) Strangford constituency and (b) in each of the devolved nations in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: NHS Digital have provided the following data showing the number of people who were diagnosed with type 1, or type 2 and other, diabetes in each of the five calendar years 2012 to 2016 in England. Calendar yearNewly diagnosed with type 1 diabetesNewly diagnosed with type 2 and other diabetes20126,920167,78020136,890183,37020146,695172,52020157,345194,64020167,740203,145Source: National Diabetes Audit (NDA) Disclosure control has been applied to all figures, as per the NDA publication - all numbers are rounded to the nearest five, unless the number is one to seven, in which case it is rounded to ‘five’.Data for devolved administrations, including Strangford constituency, is not centrally held as health is a devolved matter.

Mortality Rates: North of England

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he make an assessment of the merits of recent Sky News Line 18 statistics which demonstrate an increase in early mortality in the North.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department considers all health data published by the Office for National Statistics and other organisations. No assessment has been made of the recent Sky News Line 18 statistics.

Cystic Fibrosis

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the (a) the number of hospital admissions for patients with cystic fibrosis and (b) average number of days a person with cystic fibrosis spent in hospital in England in (a) 2017, (b) 2016, (c) 2015, (d) 2014 and (e) 2013.

Steve Brine: The following table shows a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis for cystic fibrosis as well as the mean and median for days spent in hospital for cystic fibrosis between 2012/13 and 2016/17. This activity is from English National Health Service Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. YearFAEMean length of stay in hospital (days)Median length of stay in hospital (days)2012/1313,8849.79.02013/1413,3799.99.02014/1513,29710.010.02015/1613,58010.010.02016/1713,87910.010.0 Notes:FAEsA FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. Primary diagnosisThe primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. ICD-10 codes: cystic fibrosisThe following ICD-10 codes classify cystic fibrosis:E84- Cystic fibrosis Assessing growth through time (admitted patient care)HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Conversely, apparent increases in activity may be due to improved recording of diagnosis or procedure information.It should be noted that HES include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, e.g. 2012-13 includes activity ending between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013.

Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the compatibility with the NHS constitution of the introduction of a Quality-Adjusted Life-Year threshold for highly specialised technologies .

Steve Brine: The changes to the methodology used by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the development of guidance on highly specialised technologies do not affect the right enshrined in the NHS Constitution to NICE recommended drugs. National Health Service patients continue to have a right to drugs and treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies guidance provided their clinician considers it is appropriate treatment for them.

Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the evidential basis was which was used to inform the introduction of a £100,000 quality adjusted life year threshold into the highly specialised technology process.

Steve Brine: In April 2017, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) amended its methodology for the evaluation of highly specialised technologies to introduce a weighted cost per Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY). Under the new methodology, technologies that deliver very significant health benefits can be recommended for routine use up to £300,000 per QALY gained. NICE introduced the new methodology following a public consultation and took into account a report produced by its Decision Support Unit titled ‘Priorities for the NICE Highly Specialised Technologies Programme Review of Methods’ as well as modelling of the impact on topics that had previously been evaluated through the highly specialised technologies programme.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Children

Mr William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of children admitted to A&E for accidents aged (a) 0 up to 4 years, (b) 4 up to 11 years and (c) 11 to 16 years of age in each of the last five years.

Stephen Barclay: The requested information is not centrally held.

General Practitioners: Kent

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase capacity in general practice in (a) Kent, (b) Medway and (c) Gillingham and Rainham constituency.

Steve Brine: In response to the Ten Point Plan ‘Building the Workforce ‒ the New Deal for General Practice’, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Kent and Medway are responding to current workforce challenges through a system of learning hubs, termed Community Education Provider Networks (CEPNs). These are the community equivalent of hospital postgraduate medical centres and are responsible for providing an overview of the primary care workforce and its development and education. CEPNs have prioritised a number of key areas to improve the retention of general practitioners (GPs) while at the same time maximising recruitment of new GPs. These initiatives include Hub/Place Based Education Training and Support to develop the current and future workforce allowing senior GPs to refresh their working patterns and develop educational and mentorship skills, which may prolong careers by providing varied and stimulating career opportunities. GPs are also being encouraged to develop a specialism through the GP Specialisms with those taking part in East Kent reporting greater professional satisfaction through increased variety and stimulation in their role. NHS Medway Clinical Commissioning Group is working with local GPs through the Medway Practices Alliance to ensure the nationally mandated core requirements are in place for 100% of the Medway population by October 2018. In Medway, including Rainham and Gillingham, this will result in an additional 150 hours of consultation capacity per week. In line with the Medway Model – the Medway interpretation of the Kent and Medway Local Care agenda – improved access will be offered across the area, operating from healthy living centres.

Carers

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to improve the the provision of support available to unpaid carers; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government is committed to continuing to value, recognise and support carers to provide care in a way that supports their own health and wellbeing. On 5 June, the Department published the Carers Action Plan, which sets out a cross-Government programme of targeted work to support carers over the next two years. It puts a focus on practical actions to support carers and gives visibility to the work already underway or planned within Government, showing how the Government will seek to build accessible carer friendly communities and public services, promote innovative local projects and support carers to stay in work. This is an essential step towards realising the Government’s commitment to supporting carers own health and wellbeing, employment and other life chances. There will also be a clear focus on carers in the forthcoming Adult Social Care Green Paper.

Home Care Services

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his policy is on (a) supporting and (b) increasing the number of patients that are looked after in their own home.

Caroline Dinenage: As set out by the National Health Service in their Five Year Forward View, out-of-hospital care needs to become a bigger part of NHS provision, and we recognise that community health services are a key part of achieving this. When patients have been admitted to hospital and are ready to be discharged, the focus should be on discharging them to their usual place of residence wherever possible. As part of their Better Care Fund plans, all areas are expected to implement the High Impact Change model to support system-wide improvement in discharging patients. This model includes a ‘home first’ approach which supports timely discharge and the delivery of health and care closer to home. We are also increasing capacity in the community so that more people can receive care in their own homes. To date, the NHS has boosted clinical capacity and capability of NHS 111, which now takes 16 million calls each year, with more than 50% of callers receiving clinical input in April this year. The NHS has also expanded ‘Hear and Treat’ and ‘See and Treat’ ambulance services so that they now cover 3.5 million people, with the provision of telephone advice and treatment of people in their homes saving needless trips to hospital. We want people to be able to live in their own home for as long as possible. The Department funds the Disabled Facilities Grant to support older and disabled people on low-incomes to adapt their homes to make them suitable for their needs. The Department also provides funding to build specialised housing options - through the Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund – to provide more suitable home environments for older people and those with learning and physical disabilities, and mental ill health. Housing will be a crucial part of considerations for reform of care and support which we expect to be set out in the Green Paper in autumn 2018. We intend to set out proposals for existing, new, and specialised housing, to ensure people can live in a ‘safe and suitable’ home, for as long as possible.

Hospitals: Doctors

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the doctor-to-patient ratio is in hospitals in (a) England, (b) the South East and (c) Southampton.

Stephen Barclay: The Department does not hold the information as requested.

Mental Illness: Next of Kin

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason age is used as part of the definition of nearest relative under Section 26(3) of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Section 26 of the Mental Health Act 1983 establishes a hierarchy of people that may be identified as a person’s nearest relative when that person is detained under the Act. The nearest relative role is important in that it provides a safeguard for people who are detained and ensures that the person’s family has a statutory role in their care. The provision for the elder or eldest of a specific type of person, for example the detained person’s eldest son or daughter, to be identified as nearest relative, is to make sure that it is clear which person should be given this responsibility.

Cocaine

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the European Drug Report 2018, published by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction on 7 June 2018, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the rise in cocaine-related deaths in the UK.

Steve Brine: The European Drug Report 2018 publishes national data from around Europe, and includes drug-related deaths data from the Office for National Statistics. This is available at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsrelatedtodrugpoisoninginenglandandwales/2016registrations The number of cocaine-related deaths in England and Wales has increased over the last six years. However, this figure includes those deaths involving crack cocaine, and it is unknown which deaths relate to powder cocaine and which relate to crack cocaine. Crack cocaine is often used alongside heroin by the most vulnerable drug users at greatest risk of health harm and death, and heroin deaths are also increasing. Many cocaine deaths are also associated with other drugs. There has been a recent increase in crack use and Public Health England is working with the Home Office in an England-wide investigation, including an in-depth review in six localities with high crack prevalence, aiming to get a better understanding of the underlying reasons behind the increase, which is expected to lead to improved efforts to reduce crack use and the deaths associated with it.

NHS: Waiting Lists

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients were waiting for a diagnostic test in NHS Trusts on 31 March in each year from 2011 to 2018 inclusive.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England publishes monthly data on diagnostic waiting times which includes the volume of patients waiting for a diagnostic test. Information on the numbers of patients waiting for a diagnostic test at the end of March in each year from 2011 to 2018 is shown in the following table: March 2011575,638March 2012625,054March 2013677,731March 2014789,392March 2015842,263March 2016876,329March 2017934,010March 2018981,504Source: NHS England, statistical work areas, total waiting list - diagnostic tests Demand for diagnostic testing has increased significantly, driven by improvements such as earlier diagnosis of cancer. The majority of patients are being diagnosed and treated promptly against a backdrop of more people being referred and diagnosed than ever before. In 2017/18 the National Health Service carried out 21.9 million diagnostic tests, nearly seven million more than in 2010/11.

Medical Equipment

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance the NHS provides to (a) patients and (b) the families of deceased patients on the return of medical equipment that is no longer required.

Caroline Dinenage: Arrangements for the return, reuse or recycling of equipment is decided locally between the relevant commissioners and providers of equipment. There is a responsibility on National Health Service trusts to make the best use of all resources and items including recycling and reuse of equipment where it is safe and cost effective to do so.

Care Homes: Nottinghamshire

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information he holds on the number of nursing home beds there were in Nottinghamshire in 2017.

Caroline Dinenage: The Care Quality Commission publishes monthly figures on care home beds in England. In Nottinghamshire in December 2017 there were 4,043 care home beds in homes with nursing. The latest data from June 2018 shows this number has increased to 4,160 care home beds in homes with nursing.

Nurses

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the nurse-to-patient ratio is in hospitals in (a) England, (b) the South East and (c) Southampton.

Stephen Barclay: The data is not available in the format requested.

Home Care Services

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients have received homecare help under the NHS in each of the last three years.

Caroline Dinenage: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Hospitals and Ambulance Services: Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure the safety of (a) hospital and (b) ambulance staff on duty.

Stephen Barclay: The Department has commissioned NHS Improvement to work in collaboration with NHS England on new support arrangements required to help all National Health Service organisations including hospital and ambulance trusts in their responsibilities for ensuring their staff are safe from assaults and abuse. The Government is also supporting new legislation being taken through Parliament that will make assaults and abuse of emergency workers across all public services an aggravated offence.

Patients: Safety

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many never events were recorded by NHS trusts in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: Never Events are serious incidents that are entirely preventable because guidance or safety recommendations providing strong systemic protective barriers are available at a national level, and should have been implemented by all healthcare providers. National Health Service providers are encouraged to report all Never Events through the National Reporting and Learning System. The Care Quality Commission views failure to report a Never Event as a breach of a provider’s registration requirement and which may attract sanctions. Below are the total numbers of Never Events for the last five years which are published online by NHS Improvement and can be accessed at the following link: https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/never-events-data/ The last column contains the total of Never Events reported by NHS trusts. YearTotal number of Never EventsTotal number of Never Events from NHS trusts2013/143383222014/153062882015/164424122016/174454142017/18 (provisional data subject to change as local investigations take place)469434

Injuries: Knives

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were admitted to the A&E or Acute Trauma Wards of each London hospital for treatment for knife wounds in each of the last three years for which data are available; and what the cost was to the public purse of such treatment in each such year.

Stephen Barclay: The requested information is not centrally held.

Health: Age

Mrs Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support healthy ageing.

Caroline Dinenage: The Prime Minister recently outlined that the first mission of the Ageing Society Grand Challenge, as announced in the Industrial Strategy, would be to ensure people enjoy at least five extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035, whilst narrowing the gap between the experience of the richest and poorest. The Department is leading work across Government to deliver on this ambition, working closely with key partners across industry, civil society and local government.

Learning Disability: Lancashire

Graham P Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of NHS medium secure learning disability services in East Lancashire.

Caroline Dinenage: Medium Secure Unit (MSU) Learning Disability (LD) services continue to be provided at the Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust Whalley site - there are 40 beds available and currently occupancy is running at 100%. A new 40 bed MSU LD service has now been approved and building has commenced at the Maghull Health Park. This is planned to be completed by May 2020. Following the outcome of a consultation on proposals to stop providing services at Mersey Care Whalley, NHS England have committed to the beds at Maghull being provided by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. The 40 beds at the Maghull Health Park will provide MSU LD services for the whole of the North West.

NHS Resolution

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS Resolution responds to cases in an appropriate timeframe.

Stephen Barclay: The Department agrees an annual business plan and balanced set of key performance indicators with NHS Resolution against which its performance is monitored through established sponsorship arrangements with the Department including quarterly accountability meetings. NHS Resolution is tasked with resolving valid claims promptly and fairly but also to ensure that cases are appropriately investigated in order to guard against excessive or invalid claims. In 2017, Ministers approved a five year strategy for NHS Resolution, ‘Fair Resolution and Learning from Harm’ which set out plans to deliver alternative ways of resolving cases without lengthy court proceedings. NHS Resolution is increasing the use of mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution and has also asked trusts to report cases involving a potential brain injury at birth within 30 days of the incident. It has been working to reduce the number claims going into formal court proceedings, where delays can set in, and will report on its performance against this objective in its 2017-18 Annual Report and Accounts.

Mental Health Services: Children and  Young People

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the implementation of Local Transformation Plans for child and adolescent mental health services; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Every clinical commissioning group (CCG), working closely with their partners, including children, young people and their families, has developed local transformation plans to transform their local offer for mental health and well-being services for children and young people. Local transformation plans require refreshing and republishing on each CCG’s website, at least annually. All CCGs provided assurance via NHS England Regions that plans had been updated and republished for 2017/18 as part of routine planning processes. Local transformation plans now form part of sustainability and transformation partnerships.

Mental Health Services

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much of the £1.25 billion allocated for the implementation of the Future in Mind strategy has been spent in each year of the strategy to date; and what plans he has to spend the remaining funding between now and 2020-21.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Following the publication of Future in Mind in 2015, the Government committed to making £1.25 billion available to transform services for children and young people’s mental health, excluding funding for eating disorders. The total spending for children and young people’s mental health, excluding eating disorders and perinatal mental health, was £173 million in 2015/16, £240 million in 2016/17 and £249 million in 2017/18. The planned spending for each of the 2018/19 and 2019/20 is £250 million per year, excluding eating disorders.

Mental Health Services: Children and  Young People

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether funding for the implementation of proposals relating to the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Green Paper will be in addition to funding for the implementation of the Future in Mind strategy.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The £300 million to implement the key proposals set out in our recent health and education Green Paper on children and young people’s mental health is in addition to the £1.4 billion that has been made available towards delivering Future in Mind.

Neonatal Critical Care Transformation Programme Review

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timescale is for the publication of the report and recommendations of the Neonatal Critical Care Review.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the full evidence review conducted as part of the Neonatal Critical Care Review will be published.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The findings of the review will be presented in the form of recommendations. These recommendations will go to NHS England’s Women and Children’s Programme of Care Board, the Maternity Workstream 1 Group and the Maternity Programme Board and then will be presented for inclusion in local maternity planning processes in November 2018. A review report will not be published but the full evidence review was completed in October 2017 and initial recommendations linked to specific themes were presented to Local Maternity Planning Systems in August 2017. The remaining recommendations will be published and will be presented to all Local Maternity Transformation Planning Groups.

Neonatal Critical Care Transformation Programme Review

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Neonatal Critical Care review made in its review of evidence submitted to the Women and Children National Programme of Care Board in October 2017 of the number of additional funded neonatal nurse posts required for services to meet agreed standards on nurse to baby ratios.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Neonatal Critical Care review recognises that the number of funded neonatal nurse posts needs to increase in order to meet agreed standards on nurse to baby ratios. The review also highlighted a number of challenges linked to filling neonatal nursing posts. The Neonatal Critical Transformation Review through its Models of Care Group is working through nursing and medical staffing initiatives to support the delivery of recommended levels of staffing.

National Maternity Review and  Neonatal Critical Care Transformation Programme Review

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) budget and (b) headcount staffing support was for (i) the National Maternity Review and (ii) the Neonatal Critical Care Review.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The total cost of the National Maternity Review was £902,168.85. Included in this budget was funding for 11 members of staff who worked on the Review. Not all of these staff members worked exclusively on the Review or for the full duration of the Review. This information is not held in relation to the Neonatal Critical Care Review.

Neonatal Critical Care Transformation Programme Review

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what meetings he has held with the (a) Chair and (b) other members of the NHS England Neonatal Critical Care Review.

Jackie Doyle-Price: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has held meetings with the National Clinical Director of Children, Young People and Transition to Adulthood for NHS England, who is a member of the Women and Children’s Programme of Care Board and sits on the Neonatal Critical Care Oversight Group. Further meetings have been booked to continue communications in relation to the Neonatal Critical Care Review.

Neuromuscular Disorders: Medical Equipment

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding and provision by clinical commissioning groups of cough assist machines for people with (a) muscular dystrophy and (b) neuromuscular conditions on the quality of care for people with those conditions.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that clinical commissioning groups have a policy to provide cough assist machines for people with (a) muscular dystrophy and (b) neuromuscular conditions.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had discussions with Birmingham and Solihull CCG and Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG on their consultation on the commissioning policy for cough assist machines; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The provision of cough assist machines is a matter for local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). CCGs have the independence and autonomy to make commissioning decisions and policies for local populations, taking into account the available evidence and individual circumstances as appropriate.The evidence base to support the routine use of cough assist machines in muscle-wasting conditions over other cough assist methods is not well established. NHS England previously worked with Muscular Dystrophy UK through its Bridging the Gap project to address areas of concern raised by patients and their representatives, one of which was the provision of cough assist machines. Through this work, a number of CGGs developed commissioning policies which set out the circumstances in which to consider these devices. In addition, in February 2016 the National institute for Health and Care Excellence published new guidance on the assessment and management of motor neurone disease, recommending that cough assist machines should be considered if assisted breath stacking is not effective, and/or during a respiratory tract infection.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to standardise the amount the Clinical Commisioning Groups pay providers for the provision of IVF treatment and other fertility services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England and NHS Improvement are jointly undertaking a project to develop a benchmark price for National Health Service fertility treatments. NHS England have advised it is working with the sector to improve their reference costs for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). It is NHS England’s intention to produce benchmark prices for IVF services by the end of the year.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish against what the spending from the Future in Mind budget allocation in 2017-18 was.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England publishes mental health spend for clinical commissioning groups and specialised commissioning but does not publish programme level spend for any other areas. Following the publication of Future in Mind in 2015, the Government committed to making £1.4 billion available to transform services for children and young people’s mental health. In 2017/18 the allocated funding for Future in Mind was £280 million, which included funding for eating disorders and perinatal mental health.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 June to Question 149663 on Mental Health Services, whether the £4.3 million underspend is planned to be carried over into future Future in Mind budget allocations.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Since publication, the Future in Mind recommendations have been incorporated into the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, which runs from 2016/17 to 2020/21. The Department and NHS England will consider the most appropriate course of action in relation to underspend against profile for any given year as part of the broader financial planning to implement the whole of Future in Mind and the wider Five Year Forward View for the whole period to 2020/21. The Government remains committed to delivery of the improvements within the Five Year Forward View which were recommended by Future in Mind.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 June to Question 149663 on Mental Health Services, for what reasons there was a £4.3 million underspend.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Planning for delivery of Future in Mind was undertaken as part of planning for the wider Five Year Forward View for Mental Health. Planning assumptions assumed expenditure by financial year, which was the correct assumption for the vast majority of funding associated with implementing the required changes. However, because training courses do not always align perfectly to financial years, some expenditure for courses budgeted for within a given financial year could, in fact, not be spent within that year, leading to an underspend against allocations for those budget lines. We are working to maximise the number of courses that are commissioned each academic year.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money his Department has spent on commissioning mental health services to treat patients in (a) prisons and (b) immigration removal centres in each year for which information is available.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money his Department has spent on commissioning mental health services to treat patients in (a) youth offender institutes and (b) secure children’s homes in each year for which information is available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Since 2014, NHS England has been responsible for commissioning all health services in prescribed places of detention which include prisons, immigration removal centers, youth offender institutes, secure training centers and secure children’s homes. NHS England does not hold the information in the format requested.

Hospitals: Standards

Martin Vickers: What steps he is taking to support hospitals in special measures.

Caroline Dinenage: Trusts in Special Measures are receiving increased support and intensive oversight from NHS Improvement to turn around their performance, including tailored improvement packages and Improvement Directors. 22 trusts are now out of Special Measures for Quality since the programme began in 2013.

Mental Health Services: Out of Area Treatment

Jeff Smith: What steps he has taken to reduce inappropriate out-of-area placements for mental health services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Inappropriately placing people away from their home area is unacceptable and the Government is committed to eliminating these in non-specialist, acute mental health care by 2020/21. NHS England and NHS Improvement now have a comprehensive national programme supporting reductions in inappropriate placements. Every part of the country now has a clear, realistic plan for ending out of area placements safely by 2021, with many areas having already ended this practice altogether.

Department for International Development

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions her Department has had with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on the provision of humanitarian assistance, and in particular food, to Yemen.

Alistair Burt: DFID is in regular contact with our UN partners in Yemen who are delivering the humanitarian response. Most recently I spoke to the UN’s Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grande, on 14 June. We are also in regular contact with the World Food Programme (WFP) which delivers the majority of food aid into the country at Ministerial level with WFP’s Executive Director David Beasley. The UN estimates that 17.8 million people in Yemen do not have reliable access to food and 8.4 million people face extreme food shortages. Our funding of £170 million to Yemen this financial year 2018/2019 includes support to meet the immediate food needs for 2.5 million Yemenis, and brings the total UK bilateral support to Yemen to over £570 million since 2015.

Development Aid

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the UK aid budget has been spent on fragile states in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The proportion of UK official development assistance (ODA) spent by DFID in fragile states and regions is shown in the table below, in each of the last five years. Table: DFID’s UK ODA spend in fragile states and regions1 as a proportion of total DFID ODA, 2012-20162201245%201348%201448%201557%201657%DFID refreshed its list of fragile states in 2015, to reflect our commitment to spend 50% of our budget in fragile states and regions. We update the list every two years.The table above uses the list of countries that applies to the relevant year of ODA data; 2016 figures use the updated 2017 list, 2015 figures use the original 2015 list, and figures before 2015 use the list before 2015.

Department for Education

Free School Meals

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that after the full roll-out of universal credit no child loses their entitlement to free school meals as a result of fluctuating earnings when their overall earnings are under £7,400 in a given year.

Nadhim Zahawi: We recognise that some households see their earnings fluctuate from month to month. To address this, we will ensure that a claimant’s earnings can be checked over a period lasting up to three months (where this data is available), rather than taking only the most recent month of earnings into consideration.

Students: Dyslexia

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that the procedures for students with dyslexia taking external exams are compliant with the Equality Act 2010.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write to the hon. Member for Stroud and copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

School Meals

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress his Department has made on the School Food Plan.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government encourages students to have a healthy, balanced diet and adopt healthy life choices through the provision of school funding, legislation and guidance. The School Food Plan (July 2013), has helped to bring about improvements in the provision of school food. We have since launched the new school food standards in January 2015 and they have been widely welcomed by schools. The standards severely restrict foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods. They ban crisps, confectionery and high-sugar drinks. The standards apply to all food and drink provided to pupils in schools.

Design and Technology: GCSE

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information he holds on the reasons for the decline in the number of entries to Design and Technology GCSE since 2010.

Nick Gibb: Design and Technology GCSE entries have declined since before 2010. In 2016/17 over 150,000 pupils in England entered a Design and Technology (D&T) GCSE at the end of Key Stage 4, which is over 25% of all pupils.[1] Subject experts identified a number of issues with the previous suite of D&T GCSEs. They advised that the GCSEs were out of date, did not reflect current industry practice, and lacked sufficient science, technology, engineering and mathematics content. These issues could have had an effect on take up. One issue was that there were six separate GCSEs focusing on different materials (such as resistant materials and textiles) or particular aspects of D&T (such as product design and systems and control). These did not allow pupils to gain a broad knowledge of the design process, materials, techniques and equipment that are core to the subject. The Department has reformed the D&T GCSE to address these issues. There is now just one GCSE title which emphasises the iterative design processes that is at the core of contemporary practice and includes more about cutting edge technology and processes. The new GCSE now effectively provides pupils with the knowledge they need to progress to further study and careers, including in high-tech industries. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2016-to-2017.

Design and Technology: GCSE

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Engineering UK's  2018 State of Engineering Report, what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of students with a qualification in Design and Technology GCSE to filling the skills gap in engineering.

Nick Gibb: The design and technology (D&T) GCSE is a useful qualification for those pupils considering a career in engineering. The Department has reformed the D&T GCSE to ensure that it is a valuable qualification and includes the knowledge and skills sought by leading employers. Content has been aligned with high-tech industry practice with strengthened technical, mathematical and scienctific knowledge. Both Which? and the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service advice on A level choices and degree entry requirements state that an A level qualification in mathematics is essential for any area of engineering, with many universities requiring, or preferring, a second A level in Physics as well.

Design and Technology: GCSE

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to increase the take-up of Design and Technology GCSE alongside the EBacc; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: I refer my right hon. Friend, the Member for Harlow to the answer I gave on 11 June 2018 to Question 148743:https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-06-01/148743/.

Apprentices and T-levels: Engineering

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what subject mix at age 16 he would recommend to support progression into an Engineering apprenticeship or T-Level post-16.

Anne Milton: The key stage 4 curriculum is designed to be broad and balanced, providing a strong basis for progression whatever the student decides to study post-16. Specifically for engineering, maths and science are a compulsory part of the curriculum.

T-levels

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to revise the national curriculum to ensure that students are prepared for T-levels.

Nick Gibb: T-levels will provide students with knowledge and the technical, practical skills needed to get a skilled job. They will also allow students to progress into higher levels of technical training including degree courses in subjects relevant to their T-level.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State announced in April that he would make no changes to the National Curriculum within the lifetime of this Parliament; and there should be no need to do so to prepare pupils for T-levels. All state schools are required to teach broad and balanced curricula that will provide young people with the skills and knowledge they need to undertake post-16 education and training; and the design of T-levels will take into account the knowledge and skills that pupils obtain through the current National Curriculum and reformed GCSEs.

Pupils: Behaviour Disorders

Mr William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education,what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of alternative provision for children with behavioural conditions aged (a) 0 up to 4 years (b) 4 up to 11 years and (c) 11 to 16 years in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: Funding for alternative provision (AP) comes from the dedicated schools grant (DSG). Local authorities provide place funding of £10,000 for each AP place in a pupil referral unit or AP academy from their high needs budget within the DSG. In addition, top up funding for costs in excess of the £10,000 place funding may be required depending on the needs of the individual pupil. Where the local authority is responsible for a pupil in AP, the top up funding is paid from the local authority’s high needs budget. Where a school is responsible, the top up funding is paid from the school’s delegated budget share. Local authorities can also spend their DSG on other AP services. The following table shows how much local authorities have reported that they have spent on AP in the last three years. Comparable data for 2013-14 and 2017-18, data on how much schools have spent on AP, and data held by age or need are not available. The figures below reflect the amount local authorities have chosen to spend on AP specifically, from their high needs budgets. Overall high needs funding has increased from £5 billion in 2013-14 to a record high of £6 billion this year, giving every local authority a cash increase in funding.Financial YearAP Expenditure2014-15£627,847,5512015-16£616,523,9702016-17£648,593,976

Erasmus+ Programme

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made contingency plans for a UK programme of overseas study opportunities for university students in the event that the UK is not able to remain part of the EU's Erasmus programme; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Joint Report sets out that the UK and the EU fully intend for the eligibility of UK participants’ in Erasmus+ to remain unchanged for the duration of the programme. This includes eligibility to participate in Erasmus+ projects and to receive Erasmus+ funding for the lifetime of projects. The government encourages eligible organisations to continue to bid for Erasmus+ funding and participate in Erasmus+ projects.The government's underwrite guarantee of Erasmus+ funding remains in place in the event that commitments enshrined in the Joint Report are not met. This guarantees funding for UK participants in ongoing projects at the point of the UK leaving the EU, as well as for participants that are only informed of their success or sign a grant agreement after the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

T-levels

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the employers in each region that was consulted by his Department on the introduction of T levels.

Anne Milton: We ran a ten week consultation on our proposals for T levels, which closed on 8 February 2018. This involved an online survey and a series of events around the country. We received hundreds of comments at our events and 430 official responses to the online survey, including 55 from different employers and 86 from employer representative bodies/agencies. We reviewed all of these responses and published the official government response on 27 May 2018, which is available here: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/711472/Implementation_of_T_Level_programmes-Government_consultation_response.pdf. A full list of respondents is included in Annex B, which can be found in the weblink above, though we have not published the names of organisations who wished to keep their submissions confidential. Employers have developed the outline content that will form the basis of new T Levels, through membership of the T Level panels. A list of the T level panel members of the first 16 panels that have been convened has been published and is available online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/t-level-panels-membership.In addition to membership of the T Level panels, we have further consulted employers including BAM Nuttall, Kier, Busy Bees, Action for Children, Amazon, John Lewis and Deloitte on the first three T Levels that will be delivered in 2020.

Arts and Business: GCSE

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of students studying at least one arts subject at GCSE also studied business at GCSE Level in each year since 2012.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 15 June 2018



The number of pupils in all schools, at the end of Key Stage 4, who studied at least one arts subject and business studies at GCSE level from 2011/12 to 2016/17 are in the attachment. 



152674_Pupils_who_studied_arts_and_business
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Pupils: Drugs

Sir Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to tackle the increase in schoolchildren taking Xanax and fentanyl.

Nadhim Zahawi: Schools have a statutory power to search for and confiscate prohibited items such as illegal and controlled drugs. Where they find other substances, which are not controlled drugs but a teacher believes them to be harmful or detrimental to good order and discipline, these can also be confiscated.The department has produced advice for schools which makes it clear that school staff can search pupils or their possessions, without consent where there are reasonable grounds to do so. If a pupil refuses to be searched, the school may bar them from the premises. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/279245/searching_screening_confiscation_advice_feb14.pdf. Schools are not required to record and report instances involving drugs. However, when serious incidents involving the use of drugs occur, we would expect schools to record the incident and inform the parents of the pupil. Statutory guidance to school governors on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions states that a child who has been prescribed a controlled drug may legally have it in their possession if they are competent to do so; that school staff may administer a controlled drug to the child for whom it has been prescribed; and that a record should be kept of any doses used and the amount of the controlled drug held. The government is improving the mental health support available to children and young people, investing an additional £1.4 billion is specialist services between 2015 and 2020.

Stem Cells: Donors

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will integrate information on the need for stem cell donation among (a) BAME communities and (b) others into the formal curriculum.

Nick Gibb: Pupils are taught about stem cells as part of the new Key Stage 4 science curriculum, GCSE combined science and GCSE biology. The national curriculum is compulsory in maintained schools and can be used as a benchmark by academies and free schools. The new national curriculum focuses on the essential knowledge in each subject, which allows teachers to take greater control over the wider curriculum in schools. Content includes the function of stem cells and the potential benefits and risks associated with the use of stem cells in medicine. Teachers are free to use this as an opportunity to discuss stem cell donation with pupils.In April 2018, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced that the Government would make no further changes to the national curriculum and to existing GCSEs for the rest of this Parliament. This announcement was made to promote stability for schools and teachers.In order to continue providing lifesaving support for those who need stem cell transplants and find the best possible matches, the Department for Health and Social Care supports Anthony Nolan and NHS Blood and Transplant to continue to grow both their cord blood banks and their bone marrow donor registers. In particular, they aim to increase the numbers of BAME donors and cord blood units on the register that are available for patients from BAME backgrounds that are in need of a stem cell transplant.

Teachers: Part-time Employment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2018 to Question 149986 on supply teachers, how many part-time teachers there have been in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Gibb: The figures provided are publicly available from table 2a in the Statistical First Release ‘School Workforce in England, November 2017’ available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-workforce.The table provides the head count number of part-time teachers in service in state funded schools in England, for November 2010 to 2016. Information for November 2017 will be available on 28 June 2018. Part-time teachers (thousands)November 2010104.4November 2011105.9November 2012106.2November 2013108.4November 2014110.0November 2015114.3November 2016116.8Sources: November 2010 to 2016 (School Workforce Census). There is no comparable information available for years prior to 2010. However data for the full-time equivalent number of part-time teachers, rather than headcount is available for years prior to 2010:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-including-pupil-to-teacher-ratios-and-pupil-to-adult-ratios-january-2010.

Teachers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) nursery, (b) primary and (c) secondary teachers there have been per thousand pupils in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number of teachers per thousand pupils is not routinely published.Information showing the pupil teacher ratio and pupil adult ratio for state funded nursery, primary and secondary schools is available in Table 17a of the publication, School Workforce in England 2016. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2016.

Ofsted

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2018 to Question 147899 on Ofsted, (a) what the budget was and (b) how many staff were employed by Ofsted in each of the last three financial years to date to regulate state schools.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Children: Social Services

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking with the Department of Health and Social Care to improve outreach methods for parents and children in need of early intervention services.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department is taking a number of steps with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) aimed at improving outreach methods for parents and children in need of early intervention services.Statutory guidance 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' is clear that local areas should have a comprehensive range of effective, evidence-based services in place to address assessed needs early. So we are introducing new multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, which put responsibility jointly on local authorities, health and police to put in place services that meet the needs of children and families locally. In making their local arrangements, the safeguarding partners should agree with other relevant agencies the levels for the different types of assessment and services to be commissioned and delivered – which could include outreach services. In implementing these new arrangements, my department is working closely with the DHSC, as well as the Home Office.On 4 December 2017 the government published the 'Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision' green paper. It sets out our ambition to go further to ensure that children and young people showing early signs of distress are always able to access the right help, in the right setting, when they need it. There is clear evidence that schools and colleges can, and do, play a vital role in identifying mental health needs at an early stage, referring young people to specialist support and working jointly with others to support young people experiencing problems. We will fund new mental health support teams to provide specific extra capacity for early intervention and ongoing help, supervised by NHS children and young people’s mental health staff, whose work will be jointly managed by schools and the NHS.My department is also working with Public Health England (an executive agency of DHSC) to help fulfil its ambition in 'Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential', published in December 2017, to close the word gap in the early years. This includes work to trial an early language assessment tool and deliver training and guidance for health visitors on early speech, language and communication needs.

Higher Education: Training

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of efficacy of untrained PhD students being employed by universities to teach undergraduates.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Higher Education Statistics Agency collects and publishes data on the teaching qualifications of academic staff, but this does not enable an assessment of the efficacy of those staff or any PhD students that are teaching in universities. The Higher Education and Research Act enshrines the principle that higher education institutions are autonomous organisations with freedom to select, appoint, or dismiss academic staff without interference from government. However, the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) recognises and rewards excellent teaching in higher education. The Teaching Quality measure within the TEF core metrics uses data from the National Student Survey, including student views of the teaching on their courses. In addition, the new Office for Students published its regulatory framework in February of this year. This includes a condition that all registered higher education institutions must deliver well designed courses that provide a high quality academic experience for all students – and that providers should have sufficient appropriately qualified and skilled staff to deliver that high quality academic experience.

Schools: West Sussex

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations he has received from (a) schools, (b) other organisations and (c) individuals on the continued funding problems in West Sussex schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department regularly receives representations from schools, local authorities, representative bodies and individuals about school funding.In the second stage of the consultation on the National Funding Formula for schools last year, the Department received 25,222 responses. 9% of these were from respondents in West Sussex. The Department also received a number of separate representations from schools, organisations and individuals in West Sussex regarding funding for schools.

Apprentices: Taxation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the (a) Association of Employment and Learning Providers, (b) Association of Colleges and (c) EEF on the level of apprenticeship starts since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy.

Anne Milton: I and my other ministers in the department meet regularly with the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, the Association of Colleges, and the Education Endowment Foundation to discuss a range of matters including apprenticeships. All of these groups are working with senior officials through our Apprenticeship Stakeholder Board to discuss a range of apprenticeship issues. Discussions included how we can make best use of the apprenticeship levy to deliver high quality apprenticeships at all levels.

Universities: Standards

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Office for Students on the adequacy of the metrics for the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Mr Sam Gyimah: To enable students to make the best decisions about their future, it is important that they have consistent independent information about the courses they are considering. The Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) metrics focus on what matters to students: teaching quality, the learning experience, and student outcomes. The development of subject-level TEF will give students more information than ever before.The department has worked collaboratively with the Office for Students (OfS), and the Higher Education Funding Council for England before that, throughout the development of the TEF.The metrics used for TEF assessments are all well-established, widely used and trusted in the HE sector. We consulted the sector extensively on the design of TEF, including the metrics to be used, in 2016. We have recently concluded a consultation on subject-level TEF and the OfS has completed the first year of the pilot of subject-level TEF. Findings from those exercises, including on the operation of the metrics, will be shared between the department and OfS and will inform the further development of the TEF.

Students: Disability

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to review the adequacy of support for disabled students in its review of post-18 education and funding.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The government is committed to ensuring that all students with disabilities receive the best possible support to enable them to study alongside their fellow students on an equal basis. Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) are available to help disabled students in higher education with the additional study costs they may face due to their disabilities. Alongside DSAs, disabled students can also expect their higher education providers to support them through reasonable adjustments and inclusive good practice in teaching and learning. Higher education providers have received additional funding from the former Higher Education Funding Council for England to support disabled students. We have commissioned an evaluation of DSAs, seeking disabled students’ views on support received from DSAs as well as from their higher education providers. This report will be published later in the summer of 2018. In parallel, the review of post-18 education and funding will look at how we can ensure a joined-up education system that works for everyone and is accessible to all.

Ministry of Justice

Offences against Children

Mr William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding his Department has allocated to support child victims of abuse for children aged (a) 0 to 4 years, (b) 4 to 11 years and (c) 11 to 16 years in each of the last five years.

Edward Argar: The Government is committed to ensuring that victims of crime get the support they need to cope with and, as far as possible, recover from the effects of crime. Neither MoJ or NHS England hold information on the breakdown of funding allocations to victims based on age. Under the 2016-2020 Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, the Government made a commitment to maintain funding for sexual violence support services at 2016/17 levels for the remainder of the spending review period. We continue to meet this commitment. Overall, MoJ is spending around £96m this year to fund support services for victims of crime. Around £68m of this has been allocated to Police and Crime Commissioners to locally commission or provide support services for victims of crime, including victims of sexual violence and child sexual abuse. In 2018/19 we have allocated just over £8m in funding for services supporting victims of sexual violence, including support for victims of child sexual abuse. Young child victims of abuse are generally supported by specialist NHS services. NHS England and the Home Office also have commissioning responsibilities for services to support child victims of abuse. NHS England gave uplifted investment from £9m in 2013 to £31m this year to commission an all age service with PCCs. The Home Office are funding the £7.2m Child House model in London.

Registered Intermediaries

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the supply of Registered Intermediaries compared with the demand for them.

Lucy Frazer: Demand for Registered Intermediaries remains high. Between February and April 2018 1,065 referrals were received which is a 2% increase on the same period in 2017. The strong demand has led to further recruitment activity to increase capacity in the Witness Intermediary Scheme.

Hate Crime

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will commission a review of hate crime legislation and its operation as recommended by the Law Commission in 2014.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will extend the definition of aggravated offences to include crimes motivated by hostility based on disability, sexual orientation and transgender identity as recommended by the 2014 Law Commission review of hate crime legislation.

Lucy Frazer: Hate crime is despicable and has no place in British society. The Government has repeatedly taken action to reduce hate crime, increase reporting and improve support for victims including through the 2016 Hate Crime Action Plan. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 already offers enhanced sentences powers for any offence which is racially or religiously aggravated, or where the offender demonstrated hostility or was motivated by hostility towards the victim because of their sexual orientation or disability or because they were transgender. Such offences merit an increased sentence within the maximum available for the offence. The Ministry of Justice keeps the current law, and the Law Commission’s recommendations, under review.

Hate Crime: Sentencing

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the average length in months of custodial sentences for racially or religiously (a) aggravated offences and (b) non-aggravated offences in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014, (iii) 2015, (iv) 2016 and (v) 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Sections 29 to 32 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 create specific racially or religiously aggravated offences based on offences of wounding, assault, damage, harassment and threatening/abusive behaviour. The average custodial sentence length in months for a) these specific racially or religiously aggravated offences, and b) their non-aggravated counterparts in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014, (iii) 2015, (iv) 2016 and (v) 2017, can be viewed in the table.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 17.84 KB)

Prison Officers

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department classifies prison officers as emergency workers.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department classifies prison officers as members of the uniformed services.

Rory Stewart: Prison officers are classified as a uniformed service and are required to respond to emergencies on a daily basis as part of their duties and so may also be classified as “emergency workers” in some instances. The Ministry of Justice defines prison officers as emergency workers only for the purposes Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Bill which is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on June 29. This means that the provisions the Bill introduces also extend to Prison Officers. I strongly support the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Bill which will double the maximum sentence for an attack on our emergency service officers. That applies to an attack on the police, an attack on members of the fire service, an attack on health workers, and an attack on prison officers, who do such incredible work on behalf of the public.

Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients: Discharges

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 29 May 2018 to Question 146055, what proportion of people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 who have been referred automatically to a tribunal by a hospital manager or the Secretary of State received (a) absolute, (b) conditional or (c) deferred discharge in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Lucy Frazer: This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Trade Unions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to engage in full and meaningful consultation with trade unions representing HM Courts and Tribunals Service staff as part of his consultation on transforming the court and tribunal estate.

Lucy Frazer: As part of the consultation conducted earlier this year we encouraged anyone with an interest, including Departmental Trade Unions and staff, to respond so that their views could be carefully considered. We are currently in the process of analysing those responses and we will announce the outcome in due course. HM Courts & Tribunals Service officials engage with Departmental Trade Unions on a regular basis. This will continue as the outcome to the consultation is announced and plans to implement any decisions are developed.

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable is for the next steps in his review of privatised probation services; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: During 2016 and 2017 we conducted an internal review of the probation system. As a result of this work, we published a written statement to Parliament in July 2017 confirming our commitment to improving the delivery of probation services and outlining changes made to Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) contracts.We are currently in discussions with providers to ensure that we secure the quality of probation services we need from CRCs, and will update parliament if we make further changes to contracts.

Prisons: Smoking

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2018 to Question 149637, if he will place in the Library the analysis that was carried out on the effect of the tobacco ban on prison safety and security.

Rory Stewart: The analysis undertaken was a small-scale internal study of some of the early smoke-free adopter prisons which was used by HM Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) to support the rollout of the smoke-free prisons project. Given this analysis forms part of internal HMPPS management information, there are no plans to publish it.

Prisons: Mobile Phones

Sir Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to tackle the problem of mobile phones into prisons.

Rory Stewart: The illicit use of mobile phones can pose a significant threat and undermine the safety and security of our prisons. For example, they can be used to convey other illicit items into prisons, such as drugs. We are taking urgent and decisive action to tackle this threat. The Government is supporting the Prisons (Interference with Wireless Telegraphy) Bill 2017, a Private Members Bill introduced by Maria Caulfield MP, which will enable mobile network operators to support solutions to stop illicit phones working in prisons. The bill is due to have its remaining stages debated on Friday 6th July. We have also invested £2 million in detection technology and conduct intelligence-led searches. We also continue to utilise Telecommunications Restriction Orders to block specific mobile phones being used in prisons.

Department for International Trade

Iron and Steel: USA

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the imposition of tariffs on steel imports.

Greg Hands: My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade has spoken on multiple occasions to the United States Trade Representative and the Secretary of Commerce about the US decision to impose tariffs. Furthermore, the Prime Minister raised the issue at the recent G7 summit, setting out our view that the US action is ‘unjustified and deeply disappointing.’We will continue to work closely with the US and our EU partners to secure a permanent EU exemption to these tariffs. We also continue to work with the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on supporting industry through the product exemptions process which is being run by the US Department of Commerce.

Trade Agreements: Japan

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what his policy is on exempting Japanese employees from visa quotas in any future UK-Japan trade agreement.

Greg Hands: The UK does not have commitments on visa quotas in any free trade agreement.We are seeking continuity in our trade and investment relationship with Japan. The Prime Minister and the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed in August 2017 to ‘work quickly to establish a new economic partnership between Japan and the UK based on the final terms of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement.’

Solar Power: Import Duties

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans the Government have to remove external tariffs on technical parts and components required for solar technology.

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Government plans to remove tariffs on solar technology components.

Greg Hands: Work is ongoing to develop the UK’s future independent tariff policy via the Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Bill, as we leave the EU. No decision has yet been taken on what the future UK applied tariff rates will be post-EU Exit, and this department is continuing to look at all options. Furthermore, the UK continues to support efforts at the WTO to reach agreement on the Environmental Goods Agreement which would promote the trade in green products, including that of solar panels and their associated technology. The Department for International Trade published a call for evidence on the 28 November 2017 with the aim of identifying which UK businesses produce goods currently subject to anti-dumping, or anti-subsidy measures, or to on-going investigations related to these. It asks those businesses to state whether they support, are neutral to, or oppose the maintaining of those measures, when the UK begins to operate its independent trade remedy framework. It asks for data about those businesses’ production and sales, and total UK production and sales. We invite other interested parties to provide relevant information for measures of interest to them. This will enable us to make an accurate assessment of applications to maintain measures.

Department for International Trade: Public Expenditure

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with Chancellor of the Exchequer on his Department spending more UK-wide expenditure outwith the Barnett formula in Scotland over the last twelve months.

Greg Hands: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade meets with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a regular basis to discuss a range of matters of mutual interest.None of the Department’s funding is subject to the Barnett formula.

Department for International Trade: Brexit

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of HMRC of 23 May and 5 June 2018 to the Treasury Committee, whether he had seen prior to the publication of the estimated figures of £17 billion to £20 billion for the cost of the maximum facilitation model in a letter to that Committee on 5 June 2018 (a) submissions and (b) briefing papers on those figures; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of those estimates.

Greg Hands: I refer the Hon Member for Bethnal Green and Bow to the answer I gave on 18 June, UIN: 151167.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Affordable Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2018 to Question 147333 on Affordable Housing: Construction, and with reference to his Department's press release entitled £2 billion boost for affordable housing and long term deal for social rent, published on 4 October 2017, how much of the £2 billion in housing funding remains to be allocated outside of London.

James Brokenshire: The Greater London Authority have been allocated £1 billion of the additional £2 billion funding for affordable housing announced last year. Further details on how we will allocate the remaining funding will be announced shortly. Homes England have already been allocated £3.3 billion over the length of this programme to deliver 107,000 affordable homes outside London.

Councillors: Parental Leave

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) support and (b) guidance his Department provides to local authorities on parental leave for local councillors; and if he will make a statement.

Jake Berry: I have met both the Fawcett Society and the Local Government Association to discuss this issue and am keen to explore why some councils have felt able to provide for parental leave and others have not. I will also be examining what other actions could be taken which would have a positive impact on the gender balance and diversity of councillors.

Housing: Fires

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of housing fires in England and Wales involved properties constructed using Modern Methods of Construction; and what estimate he has made of the cost of those fires to the public purse.

Dominic Raab: This information is not held centrally. Fire Statistics are collected by fire brigades and collated centrally by the Home Office. These statistics do not record the detailed form of construction of each building unless the building is timber framed.

Victim Support Schemes

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which other government departments were (a) consulted on and (b) involved in developing his Department’s independent external audit of domestic abuse services.

Nigel Adams: During the development of our independent external audit of domestic abuse services, we consulted with a number of Government departments which play a key role in domestic abuse and/or victims policy. We have worked with the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Department for Health, Department for Education and the Government Equalities Office, all of which have been instrumental in helping us develop a robust and comprehensive audit. We also hope to work closely with departments which have an extended interest in the review, such as the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Treasury, as we progress with this work.

Victim Support Schemes

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 May 2018 to Question 146873, on victim support schemes, which other government departments have been (a) consulted on and (b) involved in his Department’s full review of domestic abuse services.

Nigel Adams: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has consulted with a number of Government Departments which play a key role in domestic abuse and/or victims policy. We have worked with the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Department for Health, Department for Education and the Government Equalities Office, all of which have been instrumental in helping us develop a robust and comprehensive audit. We also hope to work closely with Departments which have an extended interest in the review, such as the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Treasury, as we progress with this work.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to set a target for building 300,000 homes a year as part of the National Planning Policy Framework.

James Brokenshire: The draft revised National Planning Policy Framework does not set a national home building target. It proposes the introduction of a standard method for assessing housing need that would be used locally as the starting point for each area’s plan-making. We intend to publish the final version of the revised Framework this summer.

Homelessness: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much it is planned for the London Borough of Havering to receive as part of the additional £30 million available for the Homelessness Prevention Programme.

Nigel Adams: On 11 June, the Secretary of State announced the allocations for the £30 million Rough Sleeping Initiative fund. The London Borough of Havering will receive £85,000 for the remaining 2018/19 financial period to tackle rough sleeping. All allocations were published on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/james-brokenshire-announces-30-million-immediate-support-for-rough-sleepersThis will fund a housing led initiative to expand the move-on accommodation available for rough sleepers with complex needs, alongside increasing staff to support rough sleepers and to deliver personalised accommodation and support plans.They will be supported to deliver this work by the multi-disciplinary Rough Sleeping Initiative team.Further funding for the 19/20 period will be announced in due course.

Social Rented Housing

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to ensure that lending alternatives equivalent to those currently provided by the European Investment Bank are available to local authorities for the provision of housing after the UK leaves the EU.

Jake Berry: Holding answer received on 15 June 2018



The Government considers that it may prove to be in the mutual interest of all sides for the UK to maintain some form of ongoing relationship with the EIB Group after leaving the EU. We will explore these options with the EU as part of the negotiations on the future relationship, and will also consider whether any further government support is required.Most local authority borrowing is from non-EIB sources. The largest source of this borrowing is the Public Works Loan Board, which is a statutory body that exclusively lends to local authorities and other local government entities in the UK.The UK has a stable and well-established framework for attracting investment into infrastructure, and a recent study suggested that the UK has one of the world’s most dynamic infrastructure markets. We expect these mechanisms to continue to deliver. We will continue to monitor whether any further support is required to continue to ensure good projects can raise the finance they need.

Housing: Construction

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many homes have been built on land that was previously green belt land in each of the last eight years.

Dominic Raab: The Department produces statistics on the estimated percentage of new residential addresses created on land with designated Green Belt status in the year in which the addresses were created.Figures for 2013-14 to 2017-18 are given in Live Table P310, which is available within the ‘2016-17 residential address change tables’ spreadsheet at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-land-use-change-statistics.Figures for the percentage of new dwellings built on Green Belt land in 2011 and earlier calendar years are available in live table P246 at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-land-use-change-statistics, but these figures are not consistent with the latest figures due to a change in the methodology for producing land use change statistics which took place in 2013-14.

Housing: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department has allocated for the purposes of delivering new homes in Coventry in each of the last eight years.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mobile Homes

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what conclusions he has drawn as a result of his call for evidence of 12 April 2017 on park home regulation and the level of sales commission charged on park homes.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Department published the summary of responses to this call for evidence on 28 November 2017. The Government response will be published in the autumn. While we are aware of the concerns amongst those living in park homes about the commission rate payable on the sale of a home, this was out of scope of the review and will therefore be considered separately.

EU Grants and Loans

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timescale is for designing and establishing the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Jake Berry: The draft Withdrawal Agreement ensures that the UK will continue to participate in EU programmes financed by the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2014-2020 until they end and means that all areas will continue to have access to the same level of funding as they would have done in the EU. We will launch the UK Shared Prosperity Fund after the close of the current EU funding programmes.

Ministry of Defence

Nuclear Submarines

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average time is that the (a) Astute and (b) Trafalgar class of submarines are able to spend at sea.

Guto Bebb: It is UK policy that we do not comment on matters relating to submarine activity or operations as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Astute Class Submarines: Safety

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Astute Submarines have been taken out of service as a result of leaks in the hold.

Guto Bebb: It is UK policy that we do not comment on matters relating to submarine activity or operations as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Syria: Military Intervention

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing greater transparency on the deployments of British soldiers embedded with partner forces following the death of a serving member of the Armed Forces in Syria on Thursday 29 March, 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The then Defence Secretary's Written Ministerial Statement of 17 December 2015 (HCWS431) informed Parliament of some details relating to UK Service personnel that are embedded in another nations armed forces, who are deployed on operations together with those who work on operations in deployed coalition or single nation headquarters roles. These details are updated through the Ministry of Defence's Annual Report and Accounts. The Ministry of Defence remains committed to being as transparent as possible about the UK's embedded forces programme. However, for personal and operational security reasons, we are limited to the detail that can be provided.

Tornado Aircraft: Accidents

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what training was provided for Tornado crew members in the operation and control of the GQ 5000 parachute prior to the collision of two Tornado aircraft over the Moray Firth in July 2012.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Tornado aircrew are required to undertake a range of parachute training, including parachute flight and landing drills. Training covers canopy handling, safe landing procedures, actions to be carried out when bailing out over water, the effects of drift, parachute dragging on the ground and in water, and harness release. This training should be undertaken every two years, and has not changed since 2012.

Suez: Veterans

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans the Government has to commemorate armed forces personnel who served during the Suez Canal crisis.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) traditionally supports significant commemorative anniversaries, as it did on Sunday 6 November 2016 when the MOD and The Royal British Legion hosted an event at the National Memorial Arboretum, home of the Suez Canal Zone Memorial, to commemorate 60 years since the ceasefire was announced in Egypt. The MOD also continues to offer military support throughout the intervening years and will be offering its support to the National Memorial Arboretum in the event the Suez Veterans Association wish to mark the occasion of the 62nd anniversary at the site of the Suez Canal Zone Memorial.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the tender for Royal Fleet Auxiliary fleet solid support ships includes the provision of Phalanx close-range guns and other weaponry; and whether the inclusion of that weaponry allow those ships to be defined as warships.

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what comparisons his Department has undertaken regarding the procurement of Royal Fleet Auxiliary fleet solid support ships with similar ships procured internally by the national navies of (a) France, (b) Germany, (c) Italy and (d) Spain.

Guto Bebb: The procurement of the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships through international competition reflects the fact that they are Naval Auxiliary Support Ships whose primary role is the replenishment of naval vessels with bulk stores. They are non-combatant ships, manned by civilian Royal Fleet Auxiliary crews and are equipped with weapons solely for self-defence. We are clear that FSS ships are not warships.We are therefore required by law to procure them through international competition, under our obligations set out in the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 and as outlined in the National Shipbuilding Strategy. It would not be appropriate to comment on the procurement practices of other nations.The forthcoming tender for the design and build of the FSS ships will not include the provision of the ships' self-defensive weaponry. Sensitive elements of the ships will be included in a customisation package to be procured through a separate competition later in the programme and restricted to UK companies.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether bids from (a) EU and (b) non-EU bidders for the RFA Solid Support Ship contract will have to demonstrate compliance with EU state aid rules.

Guto Bebb: European Union (EU) laws governing state aid do not apply to activity conducted outside the boundaries of the EU, however, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) makes no such distinction and treats all bidders who participate in its competitions equally.State aid is generally prohibited under the Treaty of the Functioning of the EU, apart from under a few specific exemptions stipulated by legislation. Under EU and UK law, the mechanism available to the MOD for addressing state aid concerns is through the concept of an abnormally low tender, related to a specific competitive procurement. The MOD has the right to reject a tender if a grant of aid was not in accordance with EU and UK law.The MOD takes open competition very seriously and is confident in the measures in place to ensure that the Fleet Solid Support ships' competitive process is conducted strictly in accordance with the EU regulations on state aid.

Trident Submarines

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on the Royal Navy's Dreadnought submarine programme.

Guto Bebb: With last month's investment of £960 million into its second delivery phase, the Dreadnought programme remains on schedule to deliver the first of class in the early 2030s and is within the £31 billion cost estimated in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to recruit (a) more engineers and (b) intelligence specialists in the armed forces.

Mark Lancaster: The Armed Forces are proactively recruiting and training individuals as engineers and intelligence specialists to meet the needs of Defence. There is a competitive market for such skills and we have introduced a range of measures to support our recruitment and retention efforts. These include remunerative measures such as targeted Golden Hellos and enhanced bursary schemes; the use of specialist recruiting teams, enhanced digital marketing campaigns, pioneering lateral entry at more senior grades for trained professionals and accelerated apprenticeship schemes.In addition, and distinct from recruiting, the Ministry of Defence is fully engaged in youth STEM outreach activity as part of the UK national effort, to ensure that the talent pipeline has sufficient numbers from which then to recruit. This is underpinned by the launch of the Defence Youth STEM engagement strategy in 2016, and subsequent support to cross-Government initiatives such as the Department for Transport led Year of Engineering and the Department for Education led STEM oversight board.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions he has met with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions he he has discussed the UK's future security relationship with the EU with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions he has discussed the UK's future engagement with the Galileo satellite programme with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Gavin Williamson: I have attended several international meetings with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, including the NATO Defence Ministers meetings, where the UK's future security and defence relationship has been discussed.  Similarly, I have regular meetings with my counterparts across the EU and the High Representative of the European Union at which matters of European defence and security, including the Galileo satellite programme, are discussed. The UK is unconditionally committed to European security and believes that it is in the UK’s and the EU’s interests to have a deep and special future security partnership. Ministry of Defence and other British Government officials regularly discuss the UK’s future security relationship with the EU with the European External Action Service and European Commission.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many F35B aircraft are scheduled to have been delivered to the UK by 2023.

Guto Bebb: By the end of 2023, the UK is scheduled to have had 42 F-35B Lightning aircraft delivered.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of converting pre-2023 delivered F-35B aircraft from the Northrop Grumman to Raytheon supplied Distributed Aperture System.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has plans to upgrade existing UK F-35B aircraft with Raytheon's Distributed Aperture System.

Guto Bebb: A decision on the upgrade of the UK's existing F-35B Lightning aircraft to the Raytheon Distributed Aperture System will be made once we understand the time and cost implications.As with all upgrades, this will be undertaken as part of the future capability development programme. Costs have not yet been negotiated or agreed.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost per unit is for each F-35 Gen III Helmet Mounted Display System and helmet.

Guto Bebb: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the then Minister for Defence Procurement (Harriett Baldwin) on 2 November 2017 to Question 109658 from the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Douglas Chapman).



109658 - Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft
(Word Document, 25 KB)

Ministry of Defence: Brexit

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of HMRC of 23 May and 5 June 2018 to the Treasury Committee, whether he had seen prior to the publication of the estimated figures of £17 billion to £20 billion for the cost of the maximum facilitation model in a letter to that Committee on 5 June 2018 (a) submissions and (b) briefing papers on those figures; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of those estimates.

Gavin Williamson: The analysis to support the estimated £17-20 billion figure was published in a letter by the Chief Executive of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs to the Treasury Select Committee on 5 June, 2018.The Government is considering two approaches to a future customs relationship with the EU: a 'new customs partnership' and a 'highly streamlined customs arrangement'. Ongoing analysis continues to support the development of both models.

Armed Forces: Scotland

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral contribution of 11 June 2018, Official Report, column 581, what the evidential basis is for 70 per cent of service personnel based in Scotland paying higher taxes.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has examined payroll data held by the Department and, on two occasions 12 months apart, identified all those Regular personnel issued with a Scottish tax code and their taxable earnings in the previous year. In both cases approximately 70% of these were found to have earned above the £26,000 threshold beyond which they would be liable in Tax Year 2018-19 to pay more income tax in Scotland compared to other Service personnel with the same taxable earnings paying income tax in the rest of the UK.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Income: Insurance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of universal credit on households' making provision for themselves through the purchase of individual income protection; and whether that effect will lead to higher levels of welfare dependency, lower levels of financial resilience, and poorer employment outcomes for people who are off work for prolonged periods of time due to injury or ill health.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the compatibility of potential disincentives posed by universal credit to Individual Income Protection with the Government’s objectives on assisting and facilitating people‘s return to work and to improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities in line with the findings and recommendations of the review entitled Thriving at Work: a review of mental health and employers, published in October 2017, and the Government's Green Paper, Improving Lives, Cm 9342, published in October 2016.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made on the effect of individual income protection on reducing welfare dependency and improving return to work rates.

Alok Sharma: DWP has not assessed the impact of individual income protection (IIP) insurance on welfare dependence, financial resilience or employment outcomes. There are clearly established rules on the treatment of income paid to meet living costs, like IIP insurance, in a means-tested benefit system that have been established for a long time and continued in Universal Credit. Universal Credit helps people build better futures for themselves and their families, with people moving into work faster and staying in work longer. When Universal Credit is fully rolled out it will deliver £8bn benefits to the UK economy every year by getting more people into work and providing the right support to those who need it. The “Improving Lives: Work, Health and Disability Green Paper” set out details of the Department’s Personal Support Package for those with health conditions and disabilities. This broad-ranging package is made up of a number of initiatives designed to significantly improve support into employment. We welcome the significant engagement we have had with the insurance industry and will continue to engage with them as part of our wider work to support people with disabilities to move into work.

Universal Credit: Habitual Residence Test

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial support his Department provides applicants for universal credit subject to the three month timescale to meet the habitual residence criteria.

Alok Sharma: We can, and do, assist in making contact with the Home Office to support individuals to check their status and provide advice on how to obtain the correct documents to prove they are eligible to claim benefits. However, we do not provide financial support to these applicants during this process, as we are legally obliged to ensure that all recipients of public money are eligible to receive that money.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department paid out to Capita for personal independence payment assessments which were overturned on appeal in 2017.

Sarah Newton: The information is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

Pensions: Young People

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of young people who are saving for a pension.

Guy Opperman: Following the introduction of automatic enrolment into workplace pensions, the latest DWP statistics estimated that in 2017 over 3.2 million workers aged 22-29, which represents 79 per cent of all eligible workers in this age group, were saving into a workplace pension. This was a 385,000 increase on the numbers of eligible workers saving in 2016 Automatic enrolment has seen more than 9.7 million workers enrolled into pension saving and nearly 1.3 million employers meeting their duties to date. Our December 2017 review of automatic enrolment: Maintaining the Momentum recognised the importance of making pension saving the norm for young people. We set out our ambition to lower the age threshold for automatic enrolment from 22 to 18; enabling more young people to benefit from pension saving at an earlier age.

Department for Work and Pensions: Public Expenditure

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on his Department spending more UK-wide expenditure outwith the Barnett formula in Scotland over the last twelve months.

Kit Malthouse: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions meets with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a regular basis to discuss a range of matters of mutual interest.

Jobcentres: Data Protection

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has she made of the effect of open-plan Jobcentre Plus office space on compliance with data protection requirements.

Kit Malthouse: Our contractors (Turner and Townsend) have undertaken a Physical Security Survey of all Jobcentre Plus offices in 2017/18. These assessments encompassed data protection. Any identified vulnerabilities have either been addressed or we have a plan in place to do so.

Department for Work and Pensions: Data Protection

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department records incidences of data breaches as a result of information being sent to the wrong recipient.

Kit Malthouse: DWP does not keep a central record of data security breaches except above a certain threshold, as local management will usually handle them.

Personal Independence Payment: Data Protection

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who is liable for data breaches the occur in relation to personal independence payment health assessments which are carried out by Atos for her Department.

Sarah Newton: Section 123 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 applies.Independent Assessment Services (IAS) is required to ensure that all their staff have been advised of the consequences of disclosing confidential information and the Department can insist that the Assessment Provider demonstrate how they have fulfilled these obligations.The Department has a process in place to manage/investigate any security breaches that occur.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to ensure that claimants previously in receipt of severe disability premium of employment and support allowance are not financially worse off after moving to universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Farmers: Mental Health

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the (a) suicide rate and (b) general level of mental health among farmworkers in England.

George Eustice: Farmers can experience unique factors due to the nature of their work and lifestyle that may impact their mental health and wellbeing. We understand that farming can sometimes be a solitary pursuit and some farmers may be too proud to seek support when it is needed. The government strategy on suicide has attempted to address these issues by ensuring that every local area has a multi-agency suicide prevention plan in place so that local services which may come into contact with people at risk of suicide, work together to implement tailored approaches to reducing suicides in their communities. Guidance issued by Public Health England advises local suicide prevention plans should target specific groups at risk of suicide, including farmers. We are encouraged that the number of male suicides in England has reduced for the second consecutive year and the overall suicide rate is at its lowest since 2010, but there is much more we must do to ensure that everyone at risk of suicide has the help and support they need. I regularly meet the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution, the Farming Community Network and the Princes Countryside Trust who do excellent work supporting farmers in difficulties. Defra also funds Action with Communities in Rural England which supports projects that tackle loneliness across the wider rural community.

Trapping

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the International Agreement on Humane Trapping Standards that permits imports of fur caught in padded leghold traps which are illegal in the UK; and what effect such ratification will have on (a) UK animal welfare standards and (b) the legal import of fur products illegal in the UK in any future trade agreement.

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to ratify the International Agreement on Humane Trapping Standards before the UK leaves the EU; and if he will take steps to prohibit imports of fur obtained by the use of trapping methods illegal in the UK.

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the UK plans to ratify the International Agreement on Humane Trapping Standards.

David Rutley: We recently consulted on the implementation of the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS) and will be introducing legislation to implement the trapping standards set out in AIHTS into UK domestic legislation. We will publish the Government’s response to the consultation this summer. We already test spring traps to the same welfare standards as set out in AIHTS. Implementation of AIHTS will also introduce new welfare standards for live capture traps for species covered by the Agreement. We already implement Council Regulation (EEC) No 3254/91 (“the Leghold Trap Regulation”). The Regulation prohibits the use of leghold traps in the EU, as well as the importation of pelts of certain species from countries which permit the use of leghold traps or methods which do not meet international humane trapping standards. We will ensure the operability of the Leghold Trap Regulation in UK domestic legislation post EU Exit. Becoming a full party to AIHTS would require the Government to ensure the UK had no restrictive trade measures on fur imports from the other contracting parties. This would therefore prohibit any future Government from introducing a comprehensive ban on fur imports, should it wish to do so.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Public Expenditure

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Chancellor of the Exchequer on his Department spending more UK-wide expenditure outwith the Barnett formula in Scotland over the last twelve months.

George Eustice: The Chancellor frequently has confidential discussions with his Cabinet colleagues on all aspects of public expenditure. Spending plans are published alongside the main fiscal events at the Autumn Budget and Spring Statement.

Fishery Agreements: Morocco

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the European Commission is considering a provisional extension or provisional application of the current protocol to the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement in the event that negotiations for a new Protocol are not finalised by mid-July 2018.

George Eustice: The European Commission has not made us aware of any intention to consider any provisional arrangements in the event that negotiations for a new EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement are not concluded by mid-July.

Fisheries

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on UK fishing policy after the UK leaves the EU.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations he has received from (a) the Welsh Government, (b) the Scottish Government and (c) civil servants from Northern Ireland on UK fishing policy after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: We are working constructively with the Devolved Administrations to develop a future fisheries policy that works for all four nations of the UK as we leave the EU. There have been extensive and productive discussions at ministerial and official level between Defra, the Welsh Government, the Scottish Government, and officials from the Northern Ireland Executive.

Home Office

Immigrants: Caribbean

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Windrush generation arrival records were included in the national archive; what arrival dates they covered; and which ports of entry covered.

Caroline Nokes: The National Archives holds arrival records comprising passenger lists arranged by port of arrival, from 1890 to 1960, which includes lists of the MV Empire Windrush and other ship arrivals outside of Europe. All of these lists are available to the public at The National Archives in Kew.

Domestic Violence

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Slavery

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many confirmed victims of modern slavery following a positive conclusive grounds decision have not been granted discretionary leave to remain and face deportation.

Caroline Nokes: Any potential decisions to refuse applications for discretionary leave to remain for confirmed victims of modern slavery are currently on hold pending further guidance and consideration of the Court of Appeal judgment in the case of (PK (Ghana) v SSHD) on 13 February 2018.No data is available on the number of people who might be subject to deportation if their discretionary leave applications are refused once decision making is resumed.

Crimes of Violence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list in descending ranked order the 100 Parliamentary constituencies with the largest increases in incidences of reported crimes of violence in each of the last three years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office publishes police recorded crime data broken down by Community Safety Partnership (CSP) level but the data held centrally cannot be broken down by Parliamentary constituency. CSP level data is available in the most recent police recorded crime open data tables and can be found in the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Immigration: EU Nationals

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether EU citizens who have been resident in the UK for five years or more but have not been in employment or in receipt of benefits are eligible for settled status after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: We​ ​have​ ​agreed​ ​with​ ​the​ ​EU​ ​that​ ​the​ ​eligibility​ ​criteria for UK settled status​ ​will​ ​be​ ​the​ ​same as,​ ​or​ ​more​ ​favourable than,​ ​​those​ ​set​ ​out​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Free​ ​Movement​ ​Directive​ ​for​ ​acquiring permanent​ ​residence after five years.​ The criteria will include those EU citizens who have resided here as self sufficient persons and so have never worked or been in receipt of benefits.As a matter of domestic policy, we have decided that the main requirement for eligibility under the settlement scheme will be continuous residence in the UK. Applicants will not need to demonstrate that they met the relevant requirements in the Free Movement Directive as to permitted activity.

Metals: Theft

Graham P Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to break the link between commercial squatting and metal theft.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 provides a strong legislative basis for tackling all forms of metal theft by making it more difficult for criminals to dispose of stolen metal through scrap metal yards.The police can take action against commercial squatters who commit other crimes, including thefts of metal or other commodities, when entering or staying in a property. Enforcement is a matter for chief constables and Police and Crime Commissioners who must decide how best to deploy their resources to respond to the crimes affecting their local communities.

Immigration

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average wait time has been for a person who has lost their UK residency permit abroad to receive a replacement over the last 12 months.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average wait time has been for a person who has lost their UK residency permit in the Americas to receive a replacement over the last 12 months.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average wait time has been for a person who has lost their UK residency permit in Jamaica to receive a replacement over the last 12 months.

Caroline Nokes: When the holder of a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) loses their BRP abroad they are required to report it as lost, stolen or damaged via the www.gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits/lost-stolen-damaged. They are then required to obtain a ‘replacement BRP visa’ from a Visa Application Centre abroad before returning to the UK. The data requested in relation to average processing times for this type of visa application is not held in the format specified in the questions. However, the service standard for the ‘replacement BRP visa’ application is 15 days from date of application, although this may vary at individual Visa Application Centres.Once the BRP holder has obtained their ‘replacement BRP visa’ and been able to return to the UK they will be required to apply for a replacement BRP. Further information on how to do this can be obtained from: https://www.gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits/replace. The data requested in relation to average processing times for the BRP RC applications is not held in the format specified in the questions.For those individuals who have limited leave to remain in the UK the service level agreement is to process all BRP RC applications within 8 weeks of receipt. For those with indefinite leave to remain in the UK the service level agreement is to process all BRP RC applications within 6 months of receipt.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Public Expenditure

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on his Department spending more UK-wide expenditure outwith the Barnett formula in Scotland over the last twelve months.

David Mundell: I meet with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of matters that relate to Scotland.

Cabinet Office

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether additional resources will be allocated to the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman as a result of the increase level of caseload from WASPI complainants.

Chloe Smith: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is independent of Government and is accountable directly to Parliament through the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. Its resources are agreed with HM Treasury and approved by the House of Commons. The Cabinet Office plays no part in allocating resources to the PHSO.

Constituencies

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to lay before Parliament the reports of the Boundary Commissions for (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland before the Conference Recess.

Chloe Smith: The Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 (as amended) requires the four Boundary Commissions to submit their final reports in the current boundary review to Government in September this year. Once received, it is our intention to lay the reports before Parliament promptly.

Northern Ireland Office

Tourism: Northern Ireland

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions she has had with Ministers in HM Treasury on the timescale for responses to its consultation on VAT, Air Passenger Duty and Tourism in Northern Ireland.

Karen Bradley: The Government has committed to commissioning a detailed consultative report into the impact of VAT and APD on tourism in Northern Ireland, to recommend how best to build upon the growing success of that sector.

Treasury

Heathrow Airport Limited

Justine Greening: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what dates (a) his Ministerial team and (b) officials of his Department have met with representatives of Heathrow Airport Limited as a result of the process to develop the Airports National Policy Statement since 2015.

Elizabeth Truss: Work to develop the proposed Airports National Policy Statement has been conducted by the Airport Capacity Programme in the Department for Transport. Neither officials nor ministers at HM Treasury have met representatives of Heathrow Airport Limited as part of this work. Meetings with Heathrow Airport Limited on other topics have been conducted in accordance with the Department for Transport’s Statement of Approach, which is available online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-approach-for-the-revised-draft-airports-national-policy-statement

Furs: Trade

Dr David Drew: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value of fur was which was (a) imported into the UK and (b) re-exported from the UK in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on UK imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics. Data on imports of fur into the UK in each of the last five years are available in the ‘Build Your Own Tables’ area of HMRC’s statistical website uktradeinfo.com The total published imports data is as follows:Import value per calendar yearValue per calendar year 20132014201520162017HS4 codes 4301, 4302 and 430358,839,87462,484,60048,584,27648,476,33563,062,632Data source: Overseas Trade StatisticsFurther breakdown of this data for fur for the last five years can be accessed from the following link: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/5 year imports&arrivals HMRC is unable to provide information regarding the re-export of fur. It does not collect data that would identify fur being re-exported for trade between the UK and other EU Member States. Following the application of statistical disclosure control HMRC is unable to provide the data for re-exports of fur to non-EU countries, as the information would identify a person or allow their identity to be deduced.

Furs: Imports

Dr David Drew: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the value of fur imported into the UK from each of the five countries from which we import most fur in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on UK imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics. The value of these imports is set out in the tables below. This is based on declared trade so is not an estimate.  Top 5 Import partner countries, per yearTop 5 Import countryCalendar year, 2013Italy15,182,580France8,453,735Poland8,308,938Russia5,124,438Hong Kong3,744,538Data source: Overseas Trade StatisticsTop 5 Import countryCalendar year, 2014Italy19,318,246France10,392,213Russia4,535,388Germany3,823,248Poland3,729,173Data source: Overseas Trade StatisticsTop 5 Import countryCalendar year, 2015Italy16,680,587France6,903,365China3,818,268Poland2,896,137United States2,822,736Data source: Overseas Trade StatisticsTop 5 Import countryCalendar year, 2016Italy15,989,878France10,291,938China4,569,168United States2,429,902Poland2,134,289Data source: Overseas Trade StatisticsTop 5 Import countryCalendar year, 2017Italy23,800,969France11,598,102China6,494,754Turkey3,281,702Poland3,167,872Data source: Overseas Trade Statistics

Furs: Exports

Dr David Drew: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value of fur re-exports to the UK's five largest destinations by value of such exports was in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on UK imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics. HMRC is unable to provide information regarding the re-export of fur. It does not collect data that would identify fur being re-exported for trade between the UK and other EU Member States. Following the application of statistical disclosure control HMRC is unable to provide the data for re-exports of fur to non-EU countries, as the information would identify a person or allow their identity to be deduced.

Treasury: International Fur Trade Federation

Dr David Drew: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings have taken place between Ministers or officials of his Department and representatives of the International Fur Traders Association from 2010 to date.

Mel Stride: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and Permanent Secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/senior-officials-expenses

Sanitary Protection: VAT

Alison Thewliss: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent progress has been made on abolishing VAT on sanitary products.

Mel Stride: The Government has continued to press at EU level for the flexibility to apply a zero rate of VAT to women’s sanitary products so that this can be introduced in the UK at the earliest opportunity. The European Commission has now brought forward a legislative proposal, which is under discussion in the EU and, if it is agreed by Member States, would give the UK that flexibility.

Trident: Scotland

Peter Grant: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions has he had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the relative fiscal multiplier of the trident weapons programme compared to other (a) army (b) navy and (c) air force expenditure in Scotland.

Mel Stride: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given for PQ 153307.

Public Expenditure: Scotland

Peter Grant: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many representations has he received from (a) business organisations and (b) trade unions on changes to the Scottish Government block grant since 2010; and how many of those representations have been sent a response.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 18th June 2018 to PQ 153308.

Public Expenditure

Patrick Grady: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much UK-wide expenditure outwith the Barnett formula has been spent in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Northern Ireland, (d) Wales and (e) London.

Elizabeth Truss: Data on spending by country and region of the UK are shown in table A1 of the latest Country and Regional Analysis. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/657987/Country_and_Regional_Analysis_November_2017.pdf

Debts: Young People

Ian Blackford: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what specific plans he has to tackle the rise of debt for young people which take account of the relatively higher level of debt than in previous generations.

John Glen: The number of under 25s holding a financial liability has fallen since 2010, from 26% to 22%. Despite this, the government is taking a proactive approach to ensure that young people with debt are supported. To protect those who choose to take on debt, we fundamentally reformed consumer credit regulation in 2014, giving the Financial Conduct Authority robust regulatory powers to protect consumers. The government is also setting up a new Single Financial Guidance Body, which will provide consumers with a single point of contact for help with all financial matters, and commission high-quality, free to user debt advice. However, we recognise that, despite these measures, some people can fall into problem debt. That is why the government-commissioned Money Advice Service is spending over £56m to provide debt advice to at least 530,000 people this year. The government is also introducing a six week breathing space alongside a statutory debt repayment plan. Together, they will provide over-indebted people with protection from creditor action so they can seek debt advice and enter into a sustainable debt solution.

Financial Services: Misrepresentation

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate (a) his Department and (b) the Financial Conduct Authority has made of the number of people that were miss-sold PPI and separately (i) non-insurance debt waiver and (ii) freeze products.

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate (a) his Department and (b) the or the FCA has made of the amount of compensation been paid to people that were mis-sold both PPI and non-insurance debt waiver or debt freeze products.

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate (a) his Department and (b) the or the FCA has made of the amount funding UK banks have allocated to the payment of compensation to people that were mis-sold both PPI and non-insurance debt waiver or debt freeze products.

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate (a) his Department and (b) the FCA has made of the libaility of UK banks in relation to the mis-selling of both PPI and non-insurance debt waiver or debt freeze products.

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received from the FCA on the mis-selling of both PPI and non-insurance debt waiver or debt freeze products.

John Glen: The regulation of payment protection insurance (PPI) and debt freeze and waiver products is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). We have passed the Honourable Gentleman’s questions on to the FCA, who will reply directly to him by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House. Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery, including regular meetings with the FCA to discuss relevant regulatory issues.

Tax Avoidance

Grant Shapps: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what initial estimate he made of the number of people who will be required to pay tax liabilities to HMRC as a result of the disguised remuneration 2019 Loan Charge.

Grant Shapps: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have (a) agreed to repay their loans and (b) agreed a settlement offer with HMRC as a result of the disguised remuneration 2019 Loan Charge.

Mel Stride: The Government estimates that up to 50,000 individuals will be affected by the 2019 loan charge. Further information can be found in the ‘Disguised remuneration: further update’ policy paper: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disguised-remuneration-further-update/disguised-remuneration-further-update. Information on how many DR scheme users have repaid their loans is not held. Individuals who have repaid their DR loans must provide this information to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by 30 September 2019. HMRC has agreed settlements with over 5,000 individuals and employers since the announcement of the 2019 loan charge at Budget 2016. This has raised over half a billion pounds for the Exchequer. Information is not held on how many people have settled as a direct result of the loan charge as it is one of a number reasons for settling with HMRC.

Tax Avoidance: Self-employed

Grant Shapps: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who will be directly affected by changes to IR35.

Mel Stride: In 2016, when the Government consulted on possible reform of the off-payroll working rules (known as IR35) in the public sector, it estimated that around 26,000 people working through personal service companies would be affected by the changes. Reform to the rules in the public sector were introduced in April 2017. The Government is currently consulting on how to tackle non-compliance with the current rules in the private sector. No decisions have been made on any changes to those rules.

Bounty Services

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has a contract with Bounty to distribute child benefit forms to new parents on NHS wards.

Elizabeth Truss: HMRC does not have a direct contract with Bounty, however they are a sub-contractor of HMRC’s print provider Communisis. The child benefit forms are printed and provided to Bounty for inclusion in their packs and distributed to new parents on NHS wards.

Treasury: Brexit

Rushanara Ali: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of HMRC of 23 May and 5 June 2018 to the Treasury Committee, whether he had seen prior to the publication of the estimated figures of £17 billion to £20 billion for the cost of the maximum facilitation model in a letter to that Committee on 5 June 2018 (a) submissions and (b) briefing papers on those figures; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of those estimates.

Mel Stride: The analysis to support the estimated £17-20 billion figure was published in a letter by the Chief Executive of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to the Treasury Select Committee on 5 June, 2018. The government is considering two approaches to a future customs relationship with the EU: a ‘new customs partnership’ and a ‘highly streamlined customs arrangement’. Ongoing analysis continues to support the development of both models.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

West Bromwich Albion Football Club

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2018 to Question 150598 and in view of an impending announcement on safe standing, if his Department will reconsider the application by West Bromwich Albion FC to introduce safe standing in their stadium.

Tracey Crouch: I have no plans to review West Bromwich Albion’s previous proposal to install standing accommodation. We are looking at the current all-seater policy and any changes that may be needed. We are keen to carefully review all the evidence on the matter and are grateful for the engagement from fans on this issue.

Social Media: Codes of Practice

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to his Department's green paper on internet safety strategy, published in October 2017, when his Department plans to publish the codes of practice for social media companies.

Margot James: As part of its work to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online, the Government published the Internet Safety Strategy Green Paper in October 2017 and published its consultation response in May this year. The consultation response included a draft statutory social media code of practice. This provides guidance to social media providers on appropriate reporting mechanisms and moderation processes to tackle abusive content. By setting out clear standards for industry, we will make sure there is improved support for users online, and that more companies are taking consistent action to tackle abuse. The Government will continue to consult with tech companies, charities and other stakeholders on the draft statutory social media code of practice ahead of the publication of a joint DCMS and Home Office White Paper.